


Something Sort of Grandish

by bluetoast



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Arranged Marriage, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Chirrut Îmwe is a Little Shit, Domestic Fluff, Eating, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Getting to Know Each Other, Just Married, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Mentions of homophobia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rey Needs A Hug, Sharing a Bed, food is a plot point, married at first sight, mentions of bullying, religion is a minor plot point, weather is a plot point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-07-24 21:26:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16183505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: As far as reality shows go, Married at First Sight isn't the worst thing on television. Rey Îmwe-Malbus didn't think she'd make the final cut. Neither did Ben Skywalker-Solo. Now here the two of them are, married to one another for the next two months.Maybe the fact the network cut out the formal weddings and told the participants it was all done under the radarwasa red flag.Maybe.





	1. Chapter 1

Rey still had no idea how she managed to finagle the vacation time for this. Oh wait, she did – it came from years of working most holidays and never asking for two entire weeks off in her five years of working as a pilot for FedEx out of Memphis International – ever. _Married at First Sight_ wasn't the worst reality show ever created, although given the other programs on the same channel, it was borderline respectable compared to the self-righteous family who had been outed in the tabloids for hiding abuse and who knew what else. She wouldn't admit openly watching the show with the child beauty queens – she found it amusing to watch pageant mothers suffer.

The show had a simple concept, at least, in description: couples were put together by a panel of experts, and they married on the day they met, and sent off on a honeymoon the next day. The couples would stay married for a total of eight weeks. Once the time passed, the couples had a choice – stay married or get divorced. There wasn't any sort of grand prize, unless you took into account the network paying for the wedding related stuff, including the honeymoon. There were also vouchers given for moving costs, though in her case, she didn't need it. Nearly everyone she worked with either owned a pickup truck or an SUV.

She'd trade her vouchers for gift certificates to feed said coworkers instead if the need arose.

She pulled off her heels, wincing. “I think these shrank in the back of my closet between now and the last time I wore them.” she glanced over at her husband of exactly one hour and thirty minutes as he came out of the bathroom, looking decidedly more calm than when they came upstairs to the hotel room. “You okay Ben?” 

“Yeah.” He slumped down onto the other side of the bed. “I don't know who they were, but if the person wearing too much Axe body spray stayed with the person not wearing deodorant, they'd have canceled each other out and ended all of our suffering.” he gave her a lopsided smile. “I'm sort of glad they cut out all the formal wedding stuff this season.” 

“I'll agree with you there. I'm guessing if you want the pomp and circumstance, it's not on the network's dime.” She chuckled, “It didn't help one of the other women on this season doused herself in some kind of perfume... I don't...”

“It was a faux Chanel.” He untied his shoes, grimacing. “The real stuff doesn't make your eyes sting, and no one who can afford it applies it so liberally, or knows better than do so.”

Rey snickered, pulling off her thigh-high socks. “Know a lot of women who use it?” she wiggled her toes, letting some of the tension seep out of her.

“My mother and a few of her friends.” He shrugged, “you hungry? I know they had an impressive spread in the green rooms before all the ceremonies, but I couldn't eat. I knew I'd never keep it down.” He worried his bottom lip, a slight bit of color coming to his cheeks. “You up for ordering a small feast from room service and getting to know one another?” 

She reached over on the bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out the bound menu from inside. “You should know right now I will never tire on the subject of food.” She frowned, “although I'm not the best cook, I mean, not in the 'I burn water' sort of bad, but the most complex thing I can do is add tomatoes to a pre-made salad mix.” she made a face. “I also make a pretty mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” 

“Do you?” Ben chuckled, standing and going over to his bag. “That's actually my favorite kind. Unless I'm in Maine and there's lobster rolls at every other place to eat.” 

“I'll take your word for it, I've never visited Maine, or anywhere on the east coast, unless changing planes in various airports counts. Or spending a night there because of flight delays.” She folded her legs and set the menu in her lap. “You go often?” 

“Once a year I retreat to an island up there. Quaint little town with no cars and it's a miracle they aren't on dial-up internet. Perfectly wonderful to escape the chaos and hear myself think for a week.” He dug a t-shirt and sweats from his bag. “What looks good?” 

Rey scanned the menu as she heard him go into the bathroom. “Most of it, trouble when you're hungry.” She left the book lying on the bed and went over to her own bag. “I'm actually a little surprised the show's sending us on a honeymoon. Pretty much every other show on the network there's some sort of contest you have to win first.” she frowned. “All the couples don't go somewhere together, do they?”

“No, thank god.” Ben came back into the room, mussing his hair. “I think since we volunteered to go first, we might have gotten the best trip of the three. Comparing the past seasons, I think the budget for this show must have gotten cut in half.” He sat down on the bed, pulling the menu towards him. “New Orleans in April, so it's not wretchedly hot yet, and the Mardi Gras nonsense is long over.” A small, playful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “We'll walk off everything we eat.” 

“Yeah.” She picked up her change of clothes, “When do you usually visit Maine?”

“October.” He let out a breath, “after most of the tourists leave and the trees are a riot of color.” His smile warmed and he reached over, squeezing the tips of her fingers. “Should... should this whole thing work out, do you think your job will let you have the time off?” 

Rey returned the squeeze before heading to the bath. “It'll take some maneuvering.” She went into the bath, “but I may work it out. Though it might mean working a lousy shift or two.” She unzipped her dress, letting the garment fall at her feet. “Burger and fries for dinner?” 

“Sounds great – milkshake?” He answered, “and what do you want for dessert?”

“Chocolate, and the ultimate brownie.” She took off her bra and pulled the t-shirt on. “Do you live in Memphis or in the suburbs?” She tugged on her sweats and picked up her discarded clothes. “I better wash my face before I forget. I don't usually wear makeup.” 

“I live about six blocks from here, in a loft on Riverside.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I work from home most of the time.” He picked up the phone. “When I don't have to travel somewhere for said job.” 

Rey chuckled, going to retrieve her toiletry bag and leave her formal clothing behind. “Sounds nice.” She returned to the bathroom. There were plenty of jobs he could have working from home. Ben didn't strike her as the software kind of guy – and working from home left out plenty of other careers. She turned the water on and started to clean the stupid amount of makeup she'd had put on her face by a professional. She doubted she would have forgotten about washing it off; the gunk felt caked on and simply removing it felt like she'd dropped five pounds. 

“Yes, room seventeen A. Thank you.” She heard Ben say before he hung up the phone and a moment later, she saw him leaning against the door-frame in the mirror. “Lady said dinner will take about twenty minutes.” he folded his arms. “So where do you live?”

“In a studio on Chelsea, and I hate my commute.” She grabbed one of the hand towels. “Sometimes I think all I do there is sleep and take a shower.” She made a face. “My rent is probably the same as the cost of a parking spot where you live.” 

His ears went slightly pink and he ran a hand through his hair. “Touche.” He let out a breath. “Pets?”

“No.” She turned the water off and started pulling pins from her complicated up-do. They may have kept all the weddings on this season insanely private; they might as well label this season 'Married at First Sight in Secret' at this point. But it didn't get anyone out of dressing up – she had a feeling a follow up show at the end of the run where, if a couple chose to stay together, the bride would appear on an 'extra special' episode of 'Say Yes to the Dress.' “My lease won't allow it, I work odd hours, and I'm allergic to cats. You?” 

“Nope. Except a few houseplants.” He snickered, “which my father continually asks if I've killed yet. Mainly due to a project I did in high school about the affect of music on the growth of seeds.” He rubbed the back of his head, grinning. “ABBA wasn't what the plants wanted, it was The Who.” 

She laughed, dropping a dozen pins on the counter. “Seriously?” 

“I know, my teacher was dumbfounded. Maybe I should have tried using the original records instead of CDs.” He took a breath. “So what do you do for a living, with your terrible commute?” 

Rey cleared her throat. “I'm a pilot for FedEx, trying to gain enough flying time to transfer to a commercial airline, either Frontier or Continental. Though flying cargo does have the appeal in that the packages don't complain about a little turbulence and I don't mind flying overnights.” 

Ben's smile grew more certain. “Well, I'm eliminating _Castaway_ as a choice from movie night from here on. And I've got no problem cooking all the meals.” They walked together out of the bath. “We can have breakfast for dinner, or dinner for breakfast whenever you want.” 

She grinned, sitting down on the bed. “So how about you? What do you do working from home?”

He sat down beside her. “I'm an extras and locations casting agent.” 

She thought for a moment. “Meaning what, exactly? I thought casting agents were people in California or New York.” 

“Well, it's like...” he ran a hand through his hair, “say for example Christopher Nolan wanted to make a movie about the American Civil War, and do a lot of it on location in a state near where the events he's filming about took place. I'm the guy his people call to find and act as a go-between at historic sites, and find the director a ton of reenactors which saves the studio time in finding extras and costumes.” 

Rey blinked at him. “You ever get cast in anything yourself?” 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “'Guy in line at Starbucks' in some Reese Witherspoon movie. I can't remember the title. Rom-coms have sort of merged into one long film in my head at this point.” He went pink. “The film industry's sort of an indirect cause of my addition to this year's cast list.” 

“Huh? Someone blackmail you onto this show?” She wouldn't put it past all the producers of reality shows gathering in a disguised seminar to discuss and exchange ideas.

Ben took a deep breath. “I accepted a dare as a teenager I'd hoped the darer forgot about. Back when the only reality TV was stuff like game-shows and the _Real World_. My friend Rose dared me to send in an application for one. You know, kids messing around.” If possible, his face went even pinker. “Anyway, I said I'd apply for a reality show when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.” 

Rey couldn't cover her laugh, “Did she call immediately after Rizzo caught that ball at first base or did she wait until the next morning?” 

“The next morning, while I was in line at Kroger, buying onions and chicken stock.” He coughed, patting his chest. “Anyway, the dare was only to apply to a show; getting on it is a bonus.”

“Let me guess, the people who picked this group recognized your name and basically put you through to the final rounds for shits and giggles.” She made a face. “Does your friend Rose owe you anything for getting on a show in addition to applying?”

“Twenty-dollar gift card to Dunkin' Donuts.” His expression changed and he snickered. “which I fully intend on collecting. Considering she works in New Orleans, we can do it together, if you like. She runs a food truck with her sister, and I never told her what show I applied to, only that I did.” 

“I'm sure your friend thought your show of choice more along the lines of _America's Got Talent_ instead of marrying a total stranger.” She stretched her arms over her head, yawning. “Since I'm guessing you purposely avoided _American Idol_.” she mussed her own hair, grimacing when her stomach rumbled. “What time is our flight tomorrow?”

“Eleven-fifteen, so we'll probably leave here by nine, with traffic and the joy of check-in.” He leaned forward on his knees, grimacing at an audible pop. “So when's your birthday?” 

She fell back on the bed, noting he distinctly looked away from her – or rather, from her stomach where her shirt had ridden up, partially exposing her belly. “Two weeks ago, on the tenth – yours?”

“November nineteenth.” He gave her a smile as he sat up. “Happy belated birthday.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed her eyes and rolled over, grabbing her phone. “What do you think we should do in New Orleans? Besides freaking out your friend.” she chuckled. “I know they have an amazing aquarium and zoo...” she trailed off when she realized her feet had landed on his thigh. “uh...”

“You can keep your feet there, I don't mind.” he looked them over. “Ticklish?”

“No.” she let out a sigh as his hand settled over her ankles; he could almost hold both her feet in his one hand. “Well, that's birthdays, jobs and places of residence taken care of. What's next?”

Ben chuckled, rubbing her left ankle with his thumb. “What brought you to the show? Someone put you up to it too?”

She gave him a sheepish smile. “Would you believe I didn't actually think I'd get picked? I thought I'd get tossed out before the first round of applications.” she closed her eyes as he picked up her foot, slowly rubbing the bottom with both of his thumbs. “One of my coworkers said anyone can get on television, and I disagreed. It's hard to get on TV without making an ass of yourself.” 

“Guess it explains how they put the two of us together.” He paused as she let out a hiss. “You okay?”

“Right there.” She coughed, a little of the tension seeping out of her and her phone fell from her hand. “Sore spot.”

“Spend all day in those heels, I'm not surprised.” He went back to massaging her foot. “Your family know you're on this show?” 

She covered her eyes before answering. “I may as well get this out in the open. I have two dads. They were my foster parents starting when I was five and adopted me when I turned seven.” She let out a soft chuckle, “I mentioned auditioning, which led to the inevitable lecture of I didn't need to do such a thing.” She lowered her hand. “It's sort of the reason for the accent. English isn't either of their first languages, and their idea to make sure I was perfectly coherent was to watch lots of British television.” 

“Seriously? That's adorable.” His switched feet, his smile widening. “So do you call one Papa and one Dad?” 

“Yes.” She grinned. “Papa's blind and is the most optimistic person on the face of the planet, Dad's a bit of a grump at times, but he calls it realistic. Says someone has to keep their feet on the ground in the family.” Relief settled over her. More than one guy had broken up with her when they found out about the two dads thing. “How about your parents?”

“My parents...” he paused, his face falling slightly. “they live over in Raleigh, my mom works too much and my dad's retired, but doesn't stay at home often enough to tell her she's working too hard.” He let out a breath. “Usually takes a disaster of some kind for her to stop. When disasters strike, work ceases to have any importance in my family. Though I don't think the two of us getting married qualifies.” He held up her right foot up by the big toe. “You have any tattoos besides this daisy chain around your ankle?” 

She grinned as he put her foot down. “That's for me to know and you to find out. You?” 

He quirked an eyebrow at her before letting out a chuckle. “No – I'm allergic to a dye used in the ink.” He fell back on the bed, stretching. “Odd question, but are you a Buddhist?” 

Rey shrugged. “Sort of, it's the religion I was brought up in, but I haven't visited a temple to pray in forever. I usually only go around the Chinese New Year, or when I visit my dads and they go.” She frowned. “I take it you're either agnostic or some denomination of Christianity?” 

“Jewish.” He answered, yawning. “Kind of.” 

She fell back beside him, scooting so their heads were level – the guy was stupidly tall. “What does 'kind of' Jewish mean? You're either Jewish or you're not.” 

“The same way you're sort of Buddhist.” He grinned. “I attend Temple on High Holy Days, and on any given Saturday before a major life event. So yes, I went last Saturday. I also don't adhere to most kosher requirements. But I do have a separate set of pots and pans strictly for kosher cooking.”

“I'm guessing by comparison, you visit your house of worship more than I do mine.” She stretched her arms over her head, studying her nails. “Don't let my dads know, but I'm not certain where the nearest temple is. I could pray at home, but I don't have a good place to put a shrine.” Her eyes shifted towards the blinking green light of the camera in the corner. “We get a say in editing, right?”

“Yup, it was in the contracts we signed, and they have to respect our privacy.” He mirrored her pose, “you want me to throw a blanket over Silent Sally ” 

“Silent Sally? I though it was Nosy Norbert.” She answered as her phone rang. “Oh, shit...” she grabbed it off the floor from where it had fallen from the bed and quickly answered. “Hi, Papa.” 

“You haven't checked your messages, young lady.” Dad's voice came back, and she could picture both he and Papa at the kitchen table, the phone on speaker. “I left you seven messages, and you did not reply to any of them. We were worried.” 

Rey glanced at Ben, pressing her finger against her lips as she turned on the speaker feature of her phone. “I had the television show, Dad. They didn't want us contacting anyone during filming.” 

“No time to take a break?” Papa's voice tutted. “You should have sent a text while you were in the ladies, like you did in high school and people were unkind.” 

Ben's eyebrows lifted and he grabbed the notepad lying on the bedside table, quickly scribbling down a note and turning the pad towards her – _Did they forget what show you're on?_

“Dad, Papa – do you remember the name of the show?” She felt like crawling under the bed at this point. 

“Midterms have just finished, xiǎo hǔ,” Dad softly admonished, “I know it is not a good excuse, but your Papa and I had a great deal of things to grade.” He cleared his throat, “but we're all busy, and you have not visited Denver since January.” 

“I know, Dad.” She took a breath, glancing over a Ben busily scribbling on the notebook again. “I... um... the show's called _Married at First Sight.”_

“If this is a joke, young lady, it is not funny.” Papa said something in Cantonese she couldn't make out. “Of all the shows...” 

“It's not _The Bachelor_.” Ben muttered and went pink, showing the notebook again. _You want me to call my parents?_

She gave him a withering look before covering her eyes. “I didn't exactly think I'd get picked, Papa, Dad.” She swallowed, “so yes, I married a total stranger. It isn't necessarily permanent, after eight weeks, we decide if we want to stay married or get divorced.” 

“Well, you've made your salad, now you must eat it.” Dad stated with a tone in his voice Rey knew all too well. The only thing worse than upsetting her dads and getting the silent treatment was when they decided to tease her instead. “You better introduce us, young lady, or we're coming to Memphis on the next plane we can catch so we can see him for ourselves.” 

She stood up straighter, lowering her hand and waving over Ben over to her.. “Be nice, Papa, Dad – Ben's a very nice young man with a good job and states he's already willing to do all the cooking.” 

“That's good, considering how hopeless you are with it.” Dad deadpanned as Papa laughed, “and you're no better, you old fool.” 

“And now we have a young fool in the family.” Papa chuckled, “because only a fool would marry our xiǎo hǔ at first sight.” 

“That's not a nice thing to say about our new son-in-law or our daughter, Chirrut.” Dad cleared his throat, “he simply doesn't know what he's getting into.” 

Ben squared his shoulders. “No, no I'm a fool, I have it on good authority. I can provide you with a list of contacts you're welcome to call and confirm it. Although I should warn you in advance, both Rose and her sister Paige revert to speaking Vietnamese when sufficiently riled.” 

Rey clasped the sides of her head, looking from her phone to her new husband. “Oh no, not three of you.” 

He blinked at her, “fine. I'm calling my parents so we can endure all the humiliation now and have an excuse in ending both conversations when dinner arrives.” 

“You know we can hear you.” Dad chuckled, “and if you think we won't simply call you right back after you hang up, you're sorely mistaken.” 

*

“Hush Baze, they'll simply put the phones on silent and ignore them. Once Ben sees how Rey eats, he'll have an idea of what we mean in not knowing what he's gotten himself into.” Ben could almost hear Chirrut's smile in his words, “it's unfair of him and us to keep his parents out of this discussion which involves all of us.” 

Ben took a deep breath before unlocking his phone and scrolled through his contacts. “My mother might scream loud enough we can hear her all the way from North Carolina without the phone.”

Rey, her face still pink, seized one of the pillows from off the bed and went into the corner, pressing her face into it. “Not. Three. Of. Them. I. Can't. Handle. This.” 

“If you're using all the drama today, I get it all tomorrow.” He glanced down at Rey's phone still on the bed, knowing her dads could hear him clearly. “My mother's sprinting over here on her next three-day weekend, make no mistake. She'll have your dads in tow as well.” He cleared his throat and hit the call button. “Never told her I made the final cut and I'm guessing she forgot the name of the show as well.” 

“We'll be quiet, let you make the introductions.” Baze – he was pretty sure it was Baze – answered. 

“Good evening, Benny!” his mother's burst out, far too chipper for this time of day. “You almost never call me on a weekday!”

“Hi, mom.” He felt his cheeks turning hot and Rey retreated from the corner, tossing the pillow onto the bed. “You and dad doing okay?” 

“We're good, your dad's gone down to Florida, visiting your uncle Lando, he's run out of things around fix the house. I may have to break something before he comes home.” There was a rustling noise. “You're not sick again, are you sweetie?” 

Rey's jaw dropped, and she grabbed the notepad he'd left on the bed, scribbling on it and turning it around. _What does she mean by sick?_

“No mom. Remember how I told you I was going through some casting for a reality show?” The heat spread from his cheeks to his ears as he set the phone down beside Rey's.“I sort of made the final cut.” 

“Oh thank god, for a moment you had me frightened.” She cleared her throat. “Now, I can't keep track of all the things on TV these days, Benny. What's the show you're on called again? I'll make sure I set the DVR up so I don't miss anything.” 

Now the color edged down under the collar of his shirt. “ _Married at First Sight._ ” 

“Married at First....” Ben took a step back from the bed, bracing for what he knew was coming. “Benjamin Fredrick Skywalker-Solo, did you get married to a total stranger?” 

“Uh, that's the point of the....” He felt Rey's hand on his back .

“I don't believe this! Not only did you get married, you did not invite me to the ceremony!” Something fell on her end of the line. “I would have canceled everything at once and come over there at once if I had known this was happening!”

“They changed the show format this season mom. No fancy weddings to start out with.” He closed his eyes. “So it was all...” he searched for a word. 

“Simply civil.” Rey interjected, tentatively resting her chin on his shoulder. “Yes, he remembered to brush his teeth and wear clean underwear. At least, I assume it's clean, I've not seen it.” 

“Huh.” His mother tutted. “You're not having a go with me, are you, young man?” 

“Moth-er.” Ben sighed, giving Rey a lopsided grin. “If I was having a go with you, I'd have told you Rose and I eloped to Vegas and say I was calling you from the airport on our way to Hawaii.” 

“You have introductions to make, young man.” Chirrut's voice came from Rey's phone. “We've sat patiently long enough, and would like to join in this conversation.” 

“Rose is a lovely young woman and your father and I know her.” His mother stated, and another rustle of noise came from her end. Paperwork of some kind, Ben guessed. “And who spoke a moment ago, are you out somewhere?”

“No, there's two cell phones lying beside each other, both on speaker.” Ben cleared his throat. “So yeah... guess I better make some introductions here...Rey, this is my mom, Leia Skywalker-Solo, mom, this is Rey, she flies cargo planes and can't cook. On the other line are her two dads, Baze and Chirrut, but I'm not certain if their last name goes Malbus-Îmwe or Îmwe-Malbus.”

“How can a young woman raised by two men not know how to cook?” His mom coughed. “Pardon me, allergies.” 

Rey gaped at him, “I can cook a little!”

“Mrs. Solo, our daughter does not have the right temperament for the kitchen. She has tried, however.” Chirrut let out a soft chuckle. “Fortunately, she's never set anything on fire.” 

“No, that was you and the microwave in the teacher's lounge.” Baze interjected, “the students weren't amused at you setting off the fire alarm during exams in December.”

“What, they never burned popcorn and set it off themselves?” Ben snickered, “Rose's sister Paige did it around nine times in college. It's why there's no microwave in their food truck. I remain surprised Rose lets her sister cook at all.” He glanced over at Rey, who still looked ready to crawl under the bed.

“So how long will the show keep you two together?” His mother asked, the clicking noise on her end returning. 

“Eight weeks.” Rey found her voice, “Then we decide if we want remain stay married or get divorced.” 

Ben took the notebook from her, glancing down at his phone. “You can't be upset with me mother. You threatened to hire a matchmaker if I wasn't married by the time I turned thirty-four. I distinctly remember, because it was during the intermission of _Fiddler on the Roof_ which you dragged me to at thirteen.”

“I was joking with you, Benjamin Fredrick and you know it.” His mother cleared her throat. “Though why you had to go with a stranger and not some nice girl...”

“Our daughter is very nice!” Baze and Chirrut said as one.

“And extremely cute.” The words slipped from him before he had time to think about it, and Rey's eyes widened. 

“You think I'm cute?” She jumped as a knock sounded on the door and he walked past her to answer it. “Dinner?” 

He checked his watch, “more than likely.” Glancing through the peephole in the door, he could see a member of the hotel staff, along with someone he vaguely remembered seeing running a soundboard during the taping of the show earlier today. “We don't get filmed eating, fantastic.” He opened the door, leaning out into the hallway. “Evening.”

“Evening.” the hotel employee spoke up first, “dinner for Rey and Ben?” she glanced at the notepad in her hand, “two cheeseburgers with fries, two milkshakes; one chocolate and one strawberry, one ultimate brownie and a slice of pineapple upside down cake?” 

“Sounds exactly right..” He pushed the door back and held it open for her to wheel the cart inside and turned towards the guy, “you here for the camera?”

“Yeah.” he followed in the young woman's wake, “wasn't supposed to come by for another hour, but the other two couples decided, for some strange reason, to spend a night on the town, and I want some sleep.” 

“Don't blame you.” He shut the door and came back into the main part of the room and discovered Rey putting both of their phones on the bedside table to charge. “They all hang up?”

“They seemed more interested in talking with each other than to me, so your mom gave Dad her number and the three of them are undoubtedly scheming against us as we speak.” She rubbed her temple, “and I can already hear Papa saying it's my own fault for doing this.” 

“Good thing my dad's out of town,” he snickered, running a hand through his hair. “he'd start packing a suitcase and start driving this way within the hour if he was home.” 

*

Leia rubbed her temple, not entirely certain how to feel about her son's news. She might have actually felt better if Ben _had_ eloped with Rose in Vegas, instead of what he'd done. She took another drink of coffee, thankful her first lecture tomorrow wasn't until eleven, and despite of that, she was tempted calling her TA, Maddie, and tell her to show her Comparative World Cultures class something from the Humanities Department's extensive National Geographic collection. 

“I'll see how I feel in the morning.” She sighed as her phone rang, and she frowned at the unknown number. “Seven-twenty area code.” She tapped the number into the search bar on her laptop before she answered. “Hello?” 

“Mrs. Solo?” She didn't know which father of Rey's spoke first, his tone short and gruff, not unlike a few of the older professors in her department. “Sorry for not calling right away, the oven buzzer went off, and we didn't want the dinner burning.” 

“It's fine, and please, call me Leia.” She took a sip of coffee again, glancing at the screen of her computer. So they lived in Denver. “I'm sorry in advance if I get the two of you mixed up.” 

“Do not worry, many of Rey's friends have faced similar problems. I'm Chirrut, or as many of our daughter's friends state, the cheerful one.” The second man answered, “how's the weather in North Carolina this evening?” 

Leia smiled; they must have done an area code search as well. “Raining without storms, do you still have snow?” 

Both men laughed in reply. “No,” Baze stated through his mirth. “save for the large piles in the corners of parking lots.” 

“Though flurries are expected tomorrow afternoon.” Chirrut interjected. “Does it ever snow there?”

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Yes, and when it does, the people who don't know how to handle snow make it ten times worse than it necessary, and those of us who do know about snow suffer for it.” 

“Ah weather, without it, ninety percent of the time, strangers would have nothing to talk about.” Baze let out a deep breath. “Those two are in a heap of trouble and have no one to blame for it but themselves.”

“Bah.” Chirrut scoffed, “I listened to the two of them. Before the next two months are over, Ben and Xiǎo Hǔ will fall so helplessly in love with each other, we'll all spend the rest of this decade trying to catch up with them." 

Leia smirked, "or the damn station will try and give them a show all their..." she stopped, her eyes widening. "Oh shit." 

"What?" Baze asked, "what's there about those two kids makes you think the network would do such a thing?"

"Oh let's see... I'm talking with two gay men who immigrated to this country and raised a girl whom I'm guessing shares zero cultural background with them, who's married to my son, a somewhat fallen Jewish boy raised by both of his parents, whose thirty-third wedding anniversary is next month." She took a swig from her coffee mug. "Think about it."

"Ha! We'd never sign the agreement. I'm surprised the network lawyers haven't come by to have us sign for this show." Baze chuckled, "and the kids won't sign up for it either. Today's events aside, they're sensible enough." 

Leia tapped her fingers on the table, "if we're going to continue this conversation, I need to call my husband, it's unfair of us to leave him out." 

"Agreed." Chirrut replied, "we can have a little of our dinner while we wait." 

She shook her head and put the two men on hold while she hit the first name in her contacts. "Well, at least Ben didn't run off and join the circus." She sighed as the phone rang twice before her husband answered. 

"We're staying out of trouble, Princess, I promise." Han's voice wasn't slurred, but he still sounded wretchedly guilty.

"Hi, honey, l miss you too," she quipped, “did you know the television show our son has decided to appear on involves marrying a total stranger?”

He swallowed in reply, "if I say yes, am I in more trouble than him?" 

Leia rubbed her temple, "now you're supposed to you tell me I'm working too hard and I should have remembered, right?"

"You love your work, but..." he made an exasperated sound, "We'll discuss it when I get home. Did Ben already get married and not invite us to the wedding?"

"I'm a little shocked myself, the show apparently didn't want the couples to have formal weddings this year. I think there's something behind that." She took a breath, "anyway, I have our new daughter-in-law's parents on the other line." she moved the phone so she could merge the calls, "advance warning, our son now has two father-in-laws." 

"Nothing wrong with that." He chuckled, "we all going to Memphis to see the kids shortly?"

"Depends on when the school year ends," she replied, "considering three of us are teachers. Not all of us have the luxury of retirement." 

"Good evening." Baze's voice cut into the conversation, "retirement does sound lovely. Chirrut and I look forward to ours in four years." 

Leia picked up her coffee mug and switched her phone's speaker on before she opened her in-box. She definitely wasn't going to her eleven o'clock tomorrow.

*

Rey flatly refused to let Ben sleep on the floor. When he'd offered, she'd felt half-stunned, half insulted. The king-sized bed had more than enough room for the both of them. However, she slept in the middle of her bed, and had a feeling he did the same in his. The two of them should have fallen asleep within seconds of lying down, regardless of position, given the exhaustion of the day. Instead, they'd lain in silence for the past three hours. She flipped her pillow over, sighing into the coolness of it. 

"You're still awake?" Ben groaned and the bedclothes rustled as he turned over so they faced each other. "I never like sleeping in hotels. Everything smells wrong." 

"Do you normally sleep on your back or your front?" She snickered, "I can't believe they never asked about sleeping habits in the gauntlet of questionnaires." 

He chuckled, "because it's dismissed out of hand. You can adjust your sleep position. I slept on my front until I turned fourteen, now I sleep on my side, but not on the side of the bed." 

"Middle of the bed is best," she rubbed her eyes, "you think I'd not have a problem with strange beds, given how many nights I sleep in one in a given month." she paused, "though I'm not sharing any of those." 

"I'm still willing to sleep on the floor," he shrugged, "if you want, we'll ask the nice hotel in New Orleans for a room with two queens, so we can both have our own bed." 

"I think that might violate terms and conditions at this point." She grumbled, rolling over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "What time's our wake-up call?" 

"Six-thirty." He let out a low groan as he stretched, “what does xiǎo hǔ mean?” 

“Little tiger.” She grinned, “you're not allowed to call me that, only my dads can.” 

“I won't, I just wanted to know what it meant.” He covered his eyes with his hand, rubbing both of his temples at the same time. “It's one in the morning and we're still awake. This is insanity.” 

“I was thinking more along the lines of awkward.” She swallowed, “seriously.” 

Ben sat up, moving one of the pillows closer to his legs. “We should both get into our preferred sleeping positions. We'll never get past awkward if we keep this up.” 

“Sleep is a beautiful thing and I want some.” She adjusted her pillows and moved closer towards the center of the bed as he settled on his side, his back to her, a pillow lodged between his legs. “Any change in our arrangement during slumber is merely coincidental.” 

“Exactly.” He yawned, “Comfy?”

She covered a yawn of her own, closing her eyes as she tucked her arm under the pillow. “Uh huh.” She slowly inhaled, catching a scent she recognized instantly. “Do you use cucumber melon body-wash?” 

“Yeah.” He let out a low groan, “and don't go telling me it's a woman's scent. How can my bottle of body-wash be for a woman when I'm the one who picked it out and purchased it?,” he paused, “well, technically some nice employee at Target who pulled it from the shelf did the picking when I ordered it, but still...” 

Rey grinned, “I know what you mean.” She yawned again, “good night, Ben.”

“Night. Sweet dreams.” He answered, more to his pillow than to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are love!
> 
> A big thank you to roguecompainion1812 on Tumblr for a first look and the first feedback!
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr @blue-toast17


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben wake up, have breakfast and get some interesting news. Han goes to Denver and meets a family friend on the plane. The Tico sisters get a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tags updated

Ben didn't open his eyes as soon as he woke up; he let awareness slowly return to him in bits and pieces. His position in the bed hadn't changed; still on his side in this wretchedly uncomfortable bed, with its wrong scent and over-fluffed pillows. Beside him, he could feel Rey's face resting between his shoulder blades, her arm thrown over his waist. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “You awake?” 

“You're so damn warm.” She replied, rubbing her cheek against his shirt, her arm tightening against him. “And you smell nice too.” She sighed, nuzzling closer. “Let's just stay here and forget going to New Orleans.” 

He chuckled, “there's probably a bed just as comfortable waiting for us there. Possibly with more pillows.” He stiffened as she molded her body against his back, slowly relaxing as he adjusted to her touch. “I'm never the little spoon, it's a nice change.” 

“You're the big spoon once winter gets here. I'll get heat exhaustion any other season.” She sighed softly. “More pillows sounds excellent. I have six on my bed. You?” 

He scrunched his nose, trying to picture his room in his apartment. “I think there's eleven. Not intentional on my part. The bedding set I gave myself for my last birthday came with four throws.”

“Throw pillows have purposes on occasion.” She grumbled, yawning. “Four throws? You must have a king size bed, right?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his eyes, “there's a total of six throws, two sleeping pillows, one body sized pillow, and two covered with shams. I keep the throws to toss around in annoyance during frustrating work days, or make my whole apartment look instantly cleaner simply by making the bed.”

“Make sense.” Rey let out a soft chuckle, “like I said last night, I don't do much at my apartment except sleep and take a shower. I cleaned out the fridge on Monday, and I'm surprised I didn't find anything growing inside.” 

He yawned, stretching his arms over his head and rolling onto his back. “I've never found anything growing, but I did find a bag of fun-sized Snickers bars in the back of my freezer I thought I'd lost a few weeks ago. A little late for Halloween, but they weren't wasted.” 

“Pretty sure I spent last Halloween in Boise, silently dreading the upcoming holiday season. Some people treat November first like it's December twenty-third.” She rubbed her eyes, “makes me glad I only fly the packages to where they need to go, I don't have to drive one of the trucks.” She grimaced, “That and Amazon doesn't have their own private shipping company.”

“No kidding.” Ben grimaced at his phone went off. “Six thirty.” He sat up and grabbed the device, silencing the alarm. “Out of curiosity, you're not going to turn into a backseat pilot on the plane, are you?”

“Funny.” Rey scooted up behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “I'll make us some coffee. Shame we can't go down to the hotel's breakfast bar in our pajamas.” 

“Stupid dress codes.” He answered, chuckling, “though I suppose we shouldn't complain. It's a few steps up from your standard continental hotel breakfast. I don't know why your dads warned me about your eating habits. Seemed pretty normal to me.” 

She chuckled, slipping out of the bed. “I think they meant the quantity of food I eat, not in how I eat it.” She went over to the dresser and picked up the pot from the small four-cup coffee machine. “We need to have a good breakfast. Airport food is absurdly overpriced and we'll only get pretzels on the plane, if anything. More than likely, we'll only get a soda.” 

“No objections.” He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a low sigh as she went to fill the pot with water. “I always tend to fall asleep on planes anyway.” 

“I can't sleep sitting up.” she answered, “since I live and am based out of Memphis, I never have to fly to another city for the start of a work shift. Of course, taking an Airbus from here to London is hell.” she returned, and started to fix the machine. “Yes, it's a direct flight.” 

“I know.” He grinned, “I've had to fly to London a time or two.” He stretched his arms over his head and stood. “The things one must to avoid a layover.” 

“Exactly.” She rubbed her eyes, “not to mention I hate flying into New York airspace. It's organized chaos and plenty of planes think they deserve priority because they have someone famous on board. Unless the plane's in distress or one of the passengers needs medical attention asap, you can wait your bloody turn.” 

“Three major airports in one small area.” he went to his carry-on bag and opened it. “I'm surprised more planes don't land at the wrong one. Or they do, we never hear about it.” 

“San Diego's a cakewalk compared to New York, and they only have one runway.” She came over to get into her bag. “I realize odds are pretty high I'm going to know someone on the crew of the plane. Depends on where they're based out of.” She unzipped the bag, “at least we don't have to worry about our parents going crazy about everything on Facebook. I don't even have a Facebook account, do you?”

“I'm not on any form of social media, other than Twitter, and I only follow restaurant accounts, mainly for coupon deals and other promotions.” He sighed, “It's a shit-show on any given day of the week.” 

“Tell me about it. I used to have an Instagram, but I deleted it after getting way too much hate for liking things people viewed as problematic.” She took a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt from her bag. “Some people need to just go outside for a while if they're offended by someone liking veal Marsala. I clearly stated in my profile I'm an omnivore. I logged in one morning after posting a few pictures of a Mongolian barbecue dinner I'd eaten the night before, and I swear, every vegan and animal rights activist in North and South America was screaming for my head in my in-box.” 

“Some people don't know how to stay in their lane.” He sighed, “someone could have a page called 'cutest-cats-ever,' with ten thousand pictures of adorable cats and kittens and someone would yell at them demanding to know why they weren't posting pics of dogs too.” 

“I'm allergic to cats, but that doesn't stop me from watching cat videos. Not like watching them on a screen will make the hives break out or the sneezes start.” She grinned, “though I think my favorite video online I've seen are the Australian news reporters and the shark.” 

He laughed, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “I'm addicted to watching Russian dash cams. Makes the traffic here in Memphis look mundane.” He took a pair of jeans and a shirt from his bag. “Speaking of animals, does your Papa have a seeing eye dog?”

Rey nodded, “a golden lab named Thor. I know, it sounds so cliché. This is his second dog, when I was little, he had a chocolate lab named Heath.” she chuckled, “as in Heath Bar.” 

Ben shook his head, “I'm not saying a thing. My mom's got a friend with a sheep ranch – and has a herding dog named Torgo.” 

She set her clothes on the bed and went back to the coffee pot. “What does your mom teach?, I didn't get a chance to ask her last night.” 

He folded his arms, leaning against the wall. “Social sciences, including geography but excluding government. She despises the whole of politics. Can't blame her.” 

“No kidding.” she fixed her cup of coffee. “Papa and Dad both teach at the Denver School for the Blind. Pre-k through twelfth, so it's sort of weird to explain if you're not familiar with it – Papa teaches music to the elementary school-aged kids. Dad teaches history to high-schoolers.” She took a sip from her cup, and grimaced. “I hope the stuff downstairs tastes better.” 

He pushed away from the wall and prepared his own serving of coffee. “Usually does. Or drinking it out of a ceramic mug tricks your brain into thinking it's better because you're not drinking from paper or Styrofoam.” He grimaced at the first sip; the coffee tasted old. “Probably stronger too.”

“Weak coffee is the worst coffee.” Rey let out a long sigh, “so what did your dad do before he retired?”

Ben felt his cheeks go pink. “Commercial airline pilot. First for Pan Am, he transferred to United a year before Lockerbie. He's still disappointed he never got the chance to fly a Concorde.” 

“I don't blame him.” She set her cup down, picked up her stack of clothes and grabbed her makeup bag. “I say we forgo the showers until we get to New Orleans. Since I'm guessing we both know how little deep cleaning planes get.” 

“Agreed.” He watched her gather up her things and head to the bath. “Are you always this chipper in the morning?” 

“No.” She called, “depending on how much sleep I get, I run the spectrum of chipper to downright perky.” 

*

Rey resisted the urge to fill her plate up in her first go-through on the breakfast buffet. Everything looked absolutely perfect and fresh, one of the perks of arriving downstairs before the majority of the hotel guests had woken up. The only thing she knew hadn't come from the kitchen were the doughnuts – she'd seen enough of them to know a fancy plated stack of Dunkins finest glazed when she saw one. She spread jam across the top of her toast as Ben returned to their table, setting down a plate with a large pancake with fresh fruit heaped in the middle of it and another plate with eggs and bacon. 

“Having a do-it yourself crepe?” She grinned as he took a drink from his coffee mug.

“Something along those lines, yes..” He picked up his fork and moved the fruit out of the pile he'd put it in. “I'm not a fan of syrup.” He glanced over at her, “anyone give you hell for your Colorado Rockies shirt?”

“No, although it's still early.” She speared a hunk of melon on her fork. “I'm allowed to wear this, right? It's permitted for the show?”

He nodded, “Since it's a pro sport team, which falls in a different category than if you wore something advertising a product or a film franchise.” He rubbed his temple, “not to mention we're in a bit of a baseball team void, those who care about the sport are Cardinals fans. Just don't wear any Broncos paraphernalia.”

“I don't like football.” She replied, turning her attention to her plate. As far as she knew, none of the other couples had come down yet; most likely the four of them were sleeping off hangovers and who knew what else from their night. She had no idea how any of them had summoned the energy to go out for even an hour; she'd wanted to ride on the bellhop's trolley when they arrived last night; no thought beyond getting into something more comfortable and eating before getting a decent night's sleep.

She suspected she would only want a shower and a short nap when they got to New Orleans . She picked up a slice of bacon. “So what do you normally have for breakfast?”

“Depends on how I feel when I get up, sometimes it's bowl of Cheerios, other days, I want eggs and hash-browns.” Ben sighed. “This is such a weird concept. We didn't talk much after we finished dinner last night. We know a handful of things about one another, but we don't know each other much more than we did this time yesterday. You think they'd have given us a suggested questions list, or something.” 

Rey took a sip of coffee. “Okay, I'll just grab the elephant in the corner by the ear and drag it to the table.” She met his gaze. “What did your mom mean yesterday when she asked if you were sick again?” 

Ben set his fork down, his expression more sheepish than anything. “I had cancer as a teenager; leukemia,” he managed a smile. Every time she looked at him, he looked more and more like puppy. “Declared in remission at eighteen and cancer free at twenty two.” 

“Holy...” she bit back her curse, not entirely certain how to react to his revelation. “I'm glad you're better.” 

“Me, too,” he chuckled. “That's actually how Rose and I met. We went through chemo together.” His smile grew more certain, “and declared in remission on the same day. So every year on February sixteenth, the anniversary of our mutual clean diagnosis, I send her something for her hair and she sends me some kind of rabbit.” He blushed slightly, “she still calls me rabbit – well, Con thỏ, which is Vietnamese for rabbit.”

“Because of your ears?” She swallowed as he went pinker, “sorry.” 

“No, don't apologize, ” He picked up his phone and started to scroll through something. “And yeah, it's because of my ears. When I went through chemo, they seemed twice as prominent, a gangly, scrawny teenager with no hair and stupid big ears. I'm thankful it wasn't Dumbo.” He took a sip of coffee. “I call her Pip, after her favorite hobbit – and, compared to me, she's perfectly hobbit sized.”

“The more I hear about Rose, the more I can't wait to meet her.” She bit into her bacon, thinking. Even though she knew how prevalent cancer was, the only people she knew who fell victim to the disease were old or middle aged. She didn't know too many people personally with cancer either; other than a few friends of her dads. She frowned as Ben continued scrolling through his phone. “Messages?” 

“Huh?” he looked up, “no....” he stopped and turned his phone towards her. “This is me and Rose, back in January for New Year's Eve, we met up in St Louis.” 

She took the phone, grinning at the image of Ben, a top hat with a ridiculously big sunflower perched on the brim and a pretty young woman, a little older than her, with a bright green and gold head-band crowned with a matching bow. “Did you get her the hair thing?” 

“Yeah. On Etsy.” he ducked his head, “I spend more time than a straight man should on that website. But I swear, it makes gift shopping for all the women I know a million times easier.” 

“Nothing wrong with supporting craft-makers, and it's important to support the arts.” she handed the phone back to him and picked up her fork. “I'm actually scared to visit Etsy. I worry I'll drop my whole paycheck on things I didn't know I needed before I've paid my bills.” 

He grinned, setting his phone back into his pocket. “Tell me if there's something in particular you're looking for. I probably have a discount due with a vendor who sells the exact thing.” 

“You're funny.” she wrinkled her nose in his direction, “and I'm acting silly.” 

Ben rested his head on his palm, smiling, “You mean you're not flirting?” 

She felt her cheeks grow warm. “And if I am?” 

“Nothing,” he winked, “does it mean I get to do it in return, Gingersnap?” 

Rey frowned. “I don't have red hair.” 

“Ginger isn't red.” He turned his attention to his plate. “Such a woefully miss-assigned adjective, ginger.” 

She stabbed at her eggs, “If I'm Gingersnap, you're Fluffy – because of your naturally fluffy hair.”

He smirked, “I can live with Fluffy.” 

“Fluffy and Gingersnap.... sounds like a show about a dog and a cat who teach kids about manners and friendship.” She grinned, “dibs on the dog role.” 

“I want the part of the cat anyway. Get to take long naps at random hours and have my antisocial behavior excused.” He grinned, but the expression fell as he caught sight of something behind her. “Uh oh.” 

“What?” Rey frowned and turned to see one of the show's producers coming towards them. The tall, pale blonde woman looked better suited to a courtroom than a television studio. Nothing but business – the sort of person when you saw her coming, you quickly got out of her way. 

Ben stood up as she reached the table. “Good morning, Ms Phasma.” 

“Morning, Ben, morning, Rey.” She pulled a chair from a vacant table and set it at the head of theirs before sitting. Ben took his seat and shot a look over at her, his expression neutral. “We have a bit of a problem.” 

Rey took a bite of her eggs to keep from speaking; judging from the woman's expression, the 'bit of a problem' was anything but minor.

“What do you mean, a bit of a problem?” Ben cleared his throat, “On a scale of one to ten, exactly how bit is it?” 

Phasma leaned forward, resting her folded hands on the table. “Nine and a half, and it's with the other two couples.” She took a deep breath, “Did you know they went out last night?”

She took a drink from her coffee mug before speaking. “Did the couples get mixed up?”

Phasma looked from her to Ben before she nodded. “We're hoping to have the situation at least halfway fixed soon. Unfortunately, they also broke the social networks blackout clause, so they've got a lot more to sort out.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “since they broke the rule, it voids their contracts for the show.” she folded her hands tightly, trying to smile and failing. “Meaning you're the only couple left for the season, and I don't think we can sell this season with just one couple.”

Ben blinked, his expression perfectly neutral as he picked up his coffee mug. “This exactly why you never text while drunk.” 

“Announcing to everyone in the bar you just got married to a total stranger doesn't help matters either.” She looked at the two of them, “everything currently allotted to you for the honeymoon and moving expenses still stands.” she assured, her expression cowed, “as for the rest of the filming, it's not going to happen.” 

“So the two of us are left married to each other for the next eight weeks without cameras?” Rey interjected, if she didn't know better, she would think the past twenty-four hours a particularly sick joke. Though getting to know Ben without cameras around had its appeal. 

Phasma clasped her hands, letting out a deep breath. “You don't need to make it for two months. We can arrange for divorce proceedings if that's what the two of you want.” 

Ben frowned, and Rey wondered if she'd hurt his feelings. “What about a sister network picking up the show? The way Lifetime snagged _Project Runway_ from Bravo?”

The older woman shook her head. “This whole season's officially in the toilet, considering the other two couples went crazy on social media. The switched couples are all over the part of the media that's isn't focused on whatever nonsense is happening in the political arena today.” 

She mulled the woman's words over. “So in other words, Ben and I need to go off, have fun, and stay of trouble while the network tries to clean up the mess?”

“Pretty much, kiddos.” She managed a smile. “I'll let you two get back to your breakfast, I know you have a plane to catch in a few hours. We'll call you if anything develops. Your media silence gets to end at four forty-five this afternoon. Have fun in New Orleans.” She stood and put the chair back before walking away.

Ben snorted, folding his arms and sitting back. “What a fine kettle of fish.” 

Rey gave him a withering look. The only person she knew who used such an old expression was her dad. “This is exactly like when the whole class got punished because a couple of kids did something wrong and the teacher thinks everyone has to suffer because we didn't stop them. Regardless of if we could or not.” She straightened when she saw his expression change, from annoyance to something – something odd. “What?”

“If this is a backdoor method to giving us our own show, it's not funny.” He cut into his pancake, his focus back on the plate. “Eat your breakfast, Gingersnap, they're not feeding us on the plane.” 

“I wouldn't eat it even if they did.” She shook her head, “I don't drink airline coffee either.” 

*

Han had barely hung up the phone last night when he started packing his things. Jetting off to Denver to meet his son's in-laws – and to assure them of what sort of man their daughter had married – was a borderline emergency, in his mind. Once he'd told Lando the situation, his friend had helped him finish up the task and drove him to the airport to catch an early flight across the country.

While he felt incredibly guilty about Leia not joining him, he knew he was the only one who had the free time to go from place to place. He also knew he'd never hear the end of it if he went to meet Rey when neither Baze nor Chirrut could do the same with Ben. 

He pinched the bridge of his nose as the fasten seat-belt sign pinged, the roar of the engines quieting some as the plane finally slowed and turned off the runway, the speaker above him crackled to life. 

“Welcome to Denver, ladies and gentlemen, where local time is twelve-thirty nine, and currently forty-nine degrees. Please keep those seat-belts fastened until we reach the gate. If this is your final destination, we'll have baggage claim information for you shortly. If you're continuing on....”

The voice faded from his notice as he glanced out the window, grimacing at the gray afternoon. Although April would turn into May in a week, looking at the grounds around the airport, he could almost believe it was still March. Surprisingly, there wasn't any snow. Of all the airports he'd flown into both as a passenger and a pilot, Denver International stood in the middle of the pack. Not nearly the logistical nightmare like anywhere in New York or Los Angeles. Little harder than Kansas City, not quite as simple as Houston. It had the wonderful distinction of knowing what to do with the current weather conditions than half the airports in North America. 

“I'm getting too old for this nonsense.” He muttered and reached down to pull his phone from his laptop bag. He'd told Leia where he'd gone, and if she jetted out to Denver on Friday morning, it wouldn't come as a surprise. “Whole damn situation is crazy.” While he never have said it out loud, he'd worried over Ben more and more as of late. He and Leia were getting older, and it wasn't grand-kids he and his wife lamented over, but their son spending the rest of his life alone.

By mutual agreement, all of the parents in this new union had agreed, should the marriage work out, they could not bring up grandchildren or the possibility of them. Ever. It wasn't fair to the kids, and besides, they knew the current state of the modern world. Han had the feeling it was far more likely for Ben and Rey to show up for Thanksgiving with four children of various ages they'd rescued from the foster care system in Memphis and leave their grandmother shocked as they set a table for ten before she could learn their names.

“Quit it.” He silently reprimanded and checked his messages – one from Ben, letting him know he and Rey had landed safely in New Orleans, one from Leia, telling him to mind his manners,and a third from Lando – who told him to bundle up against the bitter cold. His best friend since college still continued under the impression any temperature under sixty-five was cold and anything under fifty nothing short of bitter. When people in certain parts of the United States talked about people down south incapable of handling any form of cold weather, Lando fit the assumption perfectly. 

Lando wore a parka outside the second the temperature hit forty-five. 

Han shook his head, stuffing his phone back into his bag. He supposed if they had all gone to Memphis and ended up at a wedding, the events would have gone dramatically differently. Leia would have drug Ben back to North Carolina by his ears, for one. She still might, they weren't even a full day into the marriage. The rest of the passengers focused on their own bags, not giving him a second glance. Since he'd brought no checked luggage and he wasn't going on to another destination, he had no reason to rush. 

The school day wasn't over for another two hours, and it'd probably take him all that time to collect his rental car and find the hotel. Baze and Chirrut asked him to meet them at their favorite Indian restaurant, which Baze informed him was formal enough for cloth napkins, casual enough no-one gave you a second look if you wore jeans. Good thing, given he hadn't packed a single formal piece of clothing for his trip to Lando's. 

“Oh behalf of the crew, I'd like to thank you for flying United, and we hope to see you all again real soon.” The voice on the overhead speaker sounded perfectly genuine; the sort of tone you heard from a pilot or first officer who'd reached the end of a particularly grueling series of flights, and would spend tonight at home. 

Han had made enough trips to Denver for the start of such a series of flights, he knew true enthusiasm when he heard it. He probably knew both of the pilots, if he'd paid any attention to their names back when they'd taken off from Atlanta, he might have said hello.

“Still glad I retired.” He pulled the backpack from under the seat in front of him and set it on the empty place next to his; waiting his turn to venture out into the isle. They had a method for getting everyone on the plane, but when it came time to disembark, it seemed like everyone forgot their manners and were ready to climb over a little old lady or trample a few kids to get out. Unless he had to make a connection or sitting by the isle, he'd stuck with the habit of waiting until the plane stood practically empty before he got up and got out. 

“Han Solo, is that you?” A voice said from the seat behind him.

He turned, “Jyn Erso-Andor, how long have you been sitting there?”

“Oh, I just materialized on the plane somewhere over Missouri.” She grinned, “what brings you to Denver?”

“Long story, none of which is my fault, for once.” He glanced at the empty seat by her. “Cassian not with you?”

“Cassian's still flying international, I think he's somewhere over Kazakhstan as we speak.” She patted the top of a document tube. “I've got a presentation to make tomorrow, and I'd rather arrive a day early than tempt fate, weather delays, and traffic.” She pulled another bag out from under the seat. “How's Ben doing?”

“Good, kind of the reason I'm here.” He paused, “would you like to come with me to dinner to meet his new in-laws? Leia can't get out of work and I'd appreciate some back-up.” 

Jyn blinked at him. “I'm confused, how can you not know the parents of the woman your son married, and furthermore, how could there have been a wedding and you not invite Cassian and I?”

“Reality show.” He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. “Leia's already given him the riot act, but you're welcome to give a second helping.” 

“Oh, I'll keep my position as the nice aunt.” She grinned, “just as Amilyn is the wine aunt.” She fished her cell phone from her bag. “Besides, once Rose finds out what Ben did, she'll punish him enough for all of us.” 

“Such a terrible thing to say about such a sweet girl.” He stepped into the isle and pulled down his carry-on, followed by Jyn's. “Her sister is the one you need to watch out for.” 

“No kidding. Hurricane Paige.” She stood, “thank you.” She indicated the bag and the two of them headed up to the front of the plane. “Tell me you brought some baby pictures of Ben to embarrass him without his knowledge.” 

“Of course I did, Mrs. Andor.” He grinned, shaking his head as they reached the exit. “What kind of parent do you think I am?”

“Good answer.” She came up to walk next to him, “so what do you know about your new daughter-in-law?”

“Her name's Rey, she's a pilot for Fed-Ex, and she was raised by two dads.” He chuckled, “you need to go to baggage claim?”

“Nope,I'm not paying a luggage fee if I don't need to, and I've packed enough suitcases to cram two weeks worth of clothes into a carry-on and not have a single wrinkle.” She grinned as she fastened up her coat. “A three day trip is a walk in the park. What's for dinner?”

“Indian food, some place called Yak and Yeti. Rey's fathers apparently love it.” They went outside into the brisk afternoon. “They're from China, or as Chirrut puts it, he's from Hong Kong and Baze is from China.” 

“Sounds like quite a pair.” She adjusted her bags and document tubes, frowning, “they're not going to mistake me for Leia, are they?”

“No, they won't. They know I'm the only one who's coming.” He sighed as they boarded the transport bus for the rental car company. “I just happened to find someone extremely important to my family on the plane to bring along.” 

She gave him a smile as they sat down, “I'm glad someone in this world besides my husband thinks I'm extremely important. It's a nice feeling.” 

Han took a breath, shaking his head. “Do you honestly believe Leia and I could feel anything but eternally grateful to you? You joined the bone marrow donor registration at a church drive, four months later, you're at St. Jude's in Nashville saving my son's life.” 

Jyn went slightly pink, looking down at her gloved hands. “And Cassian was there to save Rose's.” She cleared her throat. “Ben always sends me such a lovely card on my birthday every August.” she looked nearly ready to start weeping, “I know I've helped other children since him, and I still do... but he's... he's special because he was the first, you know?”

He nodded. “I do.” The bus lurched to a stop to let more passengers on. “When's the last time you saw him?”

“February, I had a meeting in Memphis and we met up for lunch. You still giving a hard time about all of his houseplants?” she grinned, “you do know half of them are cacti, yes?”

“I do.” He leaned back in his seat, sighing, “cacti, an aloe vera, and a couple of spider plants. I've not visited him in months. He came home for Hanukkah last December – he loves where he lives, and he calls his mother every week. Can't really complain there.” 

Jyn rested her chin on her arm as it rested on the seat in front of her, “he's a good kid, marrying a total stranger not withstanding.” 

He folded his arms, “after two months, he and Rey decide if they want to stay married or not. Chirrut's of the opinion they're going to fall in love with each other before then.” 

The woman grinned, “once he cooks a few meals for her, she'd be crazy to leave him. The only man I know who cooks better than him is Cassian, though in all fairness, Cassian has a bigger kitchen.” 

“Everyone has a de-stress method, cooking is his.” he frowned, “I wonder if Chirrut and Baze need anything fixed. I've run out of things to fix at home.” 

“I should call Leia and tell her to start breaking things.” Jyn muttered, “find something to keep you out of trouble.” She narrowed her eyes. “Until your friend Bacca decides to retire and give up the dream of the Nationals making the Series to do it.” 

“You kidding? Soon as Chewie goes into retirement, we can go into home repair together.” He laughed as the bus pulled away from the terminal and headed for the rental car lot. 

*

Rose wished for the umpteenth time the weather in New Orleans could remain exactly like April year round. Perfectly warm without too much of the wretched humidity which played havoc with both her and Paige's hair, and after sundown, still cool enough for a thin sweater or hoodie. While most food trucks tended to frequent the more touristy parts of town (or so it seemed) and and her sister, during the week, stuck to the central business district. The white collar workers needed quick lunches too – and in their experience, they would give the most amazing tips, depending on the day of the week.

“Lunch rush is nearly over.” Paige's voice broke into her thoughts, “we're going to move before happy hour gets here, right?”

“Don't we always?” She chuckled, “though I think we both know happy hour starts at around two here, not four.” She glanced up at her sister, who kept dicing potatoes. “We'll call it a day before dark, don't worry. I know the Astros play tonight.” 

“We have to enjoy these work days while the weather's nice. Summer's going to show up in two weeks and we're going to through ice faster than napkins.” She set the knife down and stretched her arms over her head, “speaking of, is Finn coming by later?”

“No, he's in Las Vegas for a charity event, he'll come home on Friday.” She tapped her nails on the steel counter, looking out at the passing people in suits. “When are you going to stop pretending you don't like him?”

“When we're at the rehearsal dinner for the wedding, and I might keep the act up for another year after” she went back to the vegetables, “has he proposed yet?”

Rose rolled her eyes, “don't you think I'd have told you already if he had?” the bell at the order window rang and she went down the short galley. “Good afternoon, welcome to...” she stopped short when she saw who stood on the other side of the window and any sullen mood she had quickly evaporated. “Con thỏ!” She ran outside and threw her arms around her friend. “Ben, why didn't you tell me you were coming to New Orleans?”

He returned the hug, picking her up and swining her around with ease. “Long story, and I didn't know until yesterday.” He set her down, measuring the top of her head against his chest. “You getting taller, Pip?”

“Funny.” She glanced at the woman standing next to her friend, who had the look of someone standing in the corner of a party they weren't sure if they wanted to attened. “Who's your friend, Con thỏ?” 

“I'm Rey.” The woman held out her hand and she shook it. “The reality show Ben and I are supposed to be on has suffered a critical meltdown, which I believe is entirely the producers fault because they had us all get married in serect yesterday afternoon.” 

Rose felt her eyes widen, “little late for April fools, Ben.” 

“She's not lying.” He ran a hand through his hair. “the show was nice enough to let us keep our honeymoon here to New Orelans.”

She shook her head, disgusted. “You're not getting your Dunkins gift card.” She went back into the truck, not trusting herself to keep from grabbing one of her friend's stupid big ears and ask what the hell he'd thought he was doing. She felt a little more in control being able to look down at him from behind the counter. “So how long have you to known each other?”

“About a day.” Rey answered, “spare us the lecture, our parents already gave it to us.” 

“What!” Paige turned from her work, clearly not content to simply evasdrop, and came to join her at the counter, giving Ben a look of mock heartbreak. “You married a total stranger, why did you never consider me?”

Ben blinked, clearly unfazed by the outburst, “because I knew I could never woo you away from the incredible and beautiful Jessica Pava.” 

Rose rolled her eyes, pulling the order tab towards her. “You need feeding. If you're busy eating, then you can't act like a dramatic ass.” 

“But Rose, it's his turn to use the drama.” Rey interjected, “I got to use it yesterday. Tomorrow, we're sharing it.” 

Paige sucked in a breath, paling slightly, “Oh no, there's two of them.” 

“Don't make me call Gran.” she hissed at her sister before brightening and turning back to Ben and Rey. “You're not going to get out of this easily, Benjamin.”

“I'm fully prepared for the onslaught of the Tico family.” He inclined his head, “and completely prepared to bribe Finn to propose to you in front of everyone to draw the attention away from Rey and I.” 

Rey folded her arms, lifting her chin, “behave yourself Fluffy, or you can't have dessert at dinner tonight.” 

“These two never behave with each other.” Paige declared, “if it wasn't for the eighteen month difference in their birthdays and their ethnic backgrounds, you'd swear they were twins seperated at birth.” 

Rose tapped the pen against the counter, “you going to have your usual, Con thỏ?” 

“Braised chicken bahn mi, light on the diakon, please.” he nodded to Rey, “how about you?”

“Pork belly bahn mi.” She glanced at the menu, “what on earth are culture collision fries?”

“Fries served with a light chicken gravy, shredded swiss cheese and tossed in our Vietnamese meat rub.” Paige replied, “no ketchup needed.” 

“You don't offer the stuff even if someone wanted it.” Ben retorted, chuckling. “We'd like a large order, we can split it.” 

“Once Rey here tries them, she'll claw your hands off if you try to eat more than your share.” Rose added, “though knowing you, you'll let her have them without a whimper.” 

“Aw, Pip darling, you say that like it's a bad thing.” Ben answered, grinning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey continue to get to know one another - it really would help if they'd been given a list, or something.

Rey rubbed her hair as she came out of the bathroom, feeling relaxed for the first time since this whole nonsense started. While she and Ben had planned on showering when they first got to New Orleans, hunger had sent them out in search of food almost right after they checked in and dropped their bags in the room. Still full from the meal, she didn't know how the two of them would spend their evening, or rather – how they'd spend time getting to know one another. Ben stood by the bed, organizing his clothes. “Forget to pack anything?”

“Not exactly, more like trying to remember what I packed.” He chuckled, “sorry, I have a terrible tendency to plan clothing for the week. I left my more comfortable stuff at home, because I thought we'd spend our days being tailed by camera people everywhere, and my mother would scream if she knew I still had sweatpants I should have thrown out a long time ago.” 

She grinned as she sat down on the end of the bed, “I know exactly what you mean. I stuck to the list of things they suggested I pack, instead of my usual week-long work pack. Which always includes twice as many pairs of socks as days as my trip lasts. After some flights, simply changing socks makes a world of a difference.” She combed her hair with her fingers. “We didn't even change time zones, but I feel like we've gone seven of them over.” She snickered, “nice boxers.” 

He smirked, “thank you, my mummy gave them to me last Christmas. Yes, I know I told you I'm Jewish, but my mother gives my father and me socks, underwear and pajama pants on Christmas every year. She calls it practical present day. If I'm with my parents for the holiday, we of course go out for the traditional Jewish Christmas Day meal. Chinese food.” 

“Sounds like something a mother would do, my dads don't buy me clothes, except for shoes. I tell them they don't need to do it, but I know I'm never going to win the argument with Dad about how I don't need a new pair. He goes off on some tangent how a young lady can never have too many pairs of shoes.” She sighed, “once again, here we are, with no idea how to play the get to know you game.” 

“Okay, we're both Millennials, what's your Hogwarts house?” He grinned, “since it falls under the default question of the quickest way to get to know someone.” 

“Sounds like something a Ravenclaw would say.” She returned the smile, picking up the towel and carrying it back to the bathroom. “Slytherin. It means never having to question your motives.” 

“Now I know my mother's going to love you. She's a Slytherin too. And yes, I am a Ravenclaw.” He called, “my dad's a Hufflepuff.” his cellphone started to ring. “And.... Aunt Jyn's calling me.”

Rey hung the towel to dry, coming back into the room. They hadn't moved on to extended families in their conversations. Well, something to talk about when he'd finished. She picked up her comb and started to work it through her hair, only half listening to his conversation.

“So you're in Denver. What...” he glanced at her, “sure, I'm fine with it.” Rey didn't know what the woman said next, but something – something made his whole face change, “yeah. Yeah you should do that. Dad's on blood pressure medicine, so...yeah.” He met her gaze, “yes, I'm minding my manners. No, I haven't done anything my mother would ground me for.” 

She resumed her seat on the foot of the bed, easing the tangles from her hair, keeping her focus on the bedspread and the folded boxers in front of Ben. She had the strangest urge to unpack her whole bag so he could see her underthings – make it equal, or something. 

“You two have fun, and tell Uncle Cassian hi when he calls. No, I did not tell Rose what Finn's really doing.” He let out a weak laugh, “I'm not going to ruin the surprise. it's simply sheer dumb luck I'm here in New Orleans.” 

She frowned, catching up on what Ben had said. Did his dad go to Denver to meet her dads? 

“Love you too.” He hung up, tossing the phone on the bed, “well, that's a little weird, convenient, but weird.” 

“What?” She tapped the comb against her leg, “Is Jyn your mom's sister or your dad's sister?”

“Neither.” He sat down next to her on the bed. “Uh... back when I had cancer, I needed a bone marrow transplant.” He gave her a wan smile, “Aunt Jyn, as I call her, donated the bone marrow which saved my life.” 

“Oh.” She reached over and set a hand on his back, rubbing it in slow circles. “Guess that does kind of elevate her to aunt status instantly.” she felt a little more certain and moved closer to him. “I'm glad she was there.” 

“Me too.” His arm came around her waist, giving her a side hug. “Her husband, Cassian, was the donor who saved Rose's life.”

“Wow.” Rey pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don't have any aunts or uncles, that I've ever met – my dads' families aren't exactly... uh....” she looked for the right word. “Well, you know how some people are when they find out their children are homosexuals. They cease to exist.” 

“And how.” He rested his chin on her head. “This okay?”

“Yeah,” she leaned forward so she could set her head on his shoulder, “this is nice.” she swallowed, “Did your dad go to Denver?”

“Uh huh. Aunt Jyn turned up in the row behind him on the plane and they never noticed, from Atlanta all the way to Colorado. Which, if my dad slept and she read, I can completely understand.” He rubbed her upper arm, letting out a breath. “She's an architect, she does a lot of houses although she did design a high school in the suburbs of Charleston. Memorial something, I want to say Eisenhower High, or some other pre-Kennedy president.” 

She snickered, “either way, pretty cool. What about your Uncle Cassian?” 

“Another pilot – international for American Airlines.” He coughed, “he's probably landing in New Delhi right about now.” 

“Fifteen hours from Chicago, no thank you. The nine hours to London is bad enough.” She shuddered, “I don't even want to think about what a flight to Australia is like.” She set her comb down as her phone started ringing, and she winced at the ring-tone. “I hate when he does this.” 

“Who?” Ben sat down on the bed as she grabbed her phone from where she left it. “Rocket man?”

“He thinks he is.” she gave him a wry smile as she hit the talk button, “Poe Dameron, if you're flying or driving, you hang up this instant and call me back when you arrive at your destination!” 

“Oh, you know me better than that, Peanut.” Poe sounded exceptionally chipper; he must finally have gotten off flying overnights and got a decent amount of sleep for once. He was the only person she knew who operated more on coffee and energy drinks than she did. “I'm not interrupting your vacation am I?” 

“Not really.” she rolled her eyes and lowered the phone, giving Ben a bemused smile, “coworker.” 

“Ah.” Ben answered and started putting his boxers in a stack, picking them up and stuffing them back into his bag. “Sounds like a troublemaker.'”

“Did you go on a singles cruise, Miss Îmwe-Malbus?” Poe admonished, and said something in Spanish she couldn't make out. “and not tell me? I heard whomever is in the room with you, or are you in public?” 

She rolled her eyes, wondering how he could think she'd ever go one of those. Until yesterday, she was single, not desperate.“Not exactly, the reality show I landed a role on had a major hiccup, not my fault, and now... I'm on a vacation in New Orleans at their expense.” 

“You're in New Orleans too?” He laughed, “Fantastic! I'm just calling to get your advice on the best places to eat around here. You can find good food for cheap better than half the pilots in the air. I'm only in town for the night, and I wanted to eat early so I get to bed at a reasonable hour, so I'm not spending my time waiting for a table, and besides, I can't eat pizza all the time. Have to take an Airbus to Anchorage in the morning. And if I can have the pleasure of your company, all the better for it. We need to catch up, sounds like you've had quite the time since last we talked.” 

“Yuck. Alaska in April, you have my sympathy.” She shot a look at Ben, “what are you in the mood to eat? The local specialties or something of the usual fare?”

“Either. My whole dining experience cannot take place without you, Peanut. I need someone to keep my mind on my duties.” He laughed.

“You need a keeper, that's for damn sure.” She saw Ben pick up the notepad on the bedside table and scribble down a note.

_If your friend invited you to dinner, I'll invite Rose and we'll have ourselves a grand time._

“I'm going to have company with me, Poe, so I expect your best behavior. Even if you're a captain and I'm still short of the title by four thousand miles.” She lifted her chin, “and you still didn't answer what kind of food you're wanting.”

“Say when and where, Peanut, I'll be there in proper dress.” He laughed, “I knew you had a secret boyfriend you didn't want to talk about on all those long flights.” 

“What are you, fourteen?” She rolled her eyes as Ben wrote another note down – they should invest in wipe off boards at this point and save paper. 

_Find out where he's staying – then we can find a place we can all get to._

“Poe, you staying at the hideaway, or are you actually in a hotel for a change?” She saw Ben pick up his phone. 

“Airport Holiday Inn, I had a free night's stay almost ready to expire – and quite honestly, I could do with a decent dinner. I've only had cereal for the past week,” he chuckled, “can't eat Cheerios every night – and who's in the room with you? You didn't answer me.”

“No.” She let out a breath, “uh, did you remember what reality show I tried out for?” 

“You know how I am, Peanut. Learn and purge – it's a miracle I can remember half our coworkers. I remember their pets better than anything else.” He laughed, “wait.... did you get rejected from the _Bachelor_? I'll break his nose if he broke your heart!”

“Please. No, I told you, the show went to pot because of other people. I married a total stranger yesterday.” She heard him suck in a breath, “and no, before you ask, I never wanted you to set me up with one of your friends. They'd all expect me to know how to cook.” 

“Point.” He let out a whistle. “Is he cute?” 

She gave Ben a look, wondering if she could run away and hide in a broom closet for the rest of the trip. “Of all the things you could ask me about my husband, you ask me if he's cute.” 

Ben folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his face pulling into a pout. “Am I cute, Gingersnap?” 

“Insufferable is more like it.” She shook her head, “he's thinks I'm cute, has a nice job, a good relationship with his parents and willingly let my dads call him a fool. Once I try his cooking, I'll have a full report to give you.” She sighed, “I know, it's a weird concept.”

“I've heard worse.” A rustling noise came from his end, “there's a whole book of pamphlets in the bedside table, almost half of them proclaiming I have to eat raw oysters. I'm not eating those before a long haul flight.” 

“I wouldn't eat them ever, and you know my feelings about eating sushi.” She lowered the phone as Ben picked up his, “no oyster bars, and nothing too expensive or dressy.” 

He nodded, “does Italian work for him?” He kept his focus on the device in his hands, “not too spicy, not to touristy. I for one, like to hear myself think when I go out for a meal. There's a place called Arabella over on St. Claude Avenue, Rose states it's the best Italian without spending an arm and a leg.”

“Always a good thing,” she countered, “you okay with Italian food? I know you're not wanting to eat pizza, but I'm sure there's plenty of other things on the menu. Arabella?” 

“Who goes to an Italian restaurant and orders pizza?” he chuckled, “I'm good with Italian.” she heard a loud thump from his end of the line. “Ow.” 

“What happened?” She glanced over at Ben, who kept his focus on his phone, rapidly firing off a text to someone – well, probably to Rose. “Sounded painful.” 

“My hip met the corner of the dresser instead of the dresser drawer.” he groaned and there was another thump, “I made it to the bed, I'm good.” He coughed, “I think.” 

“Are you or are you not the guy who played rugby on concrete?” She snickered, “don't worry, I don't think you'll need to wear a tie, and the dinner party will consist of four people.” 

“Oh, is there another lady or gentleman present whom you have not married?” He countered loudly.

“Please let him know Rose isn't available. Saying the wrong thing to her is to invoke my big brother mode, and he doesn't want to see that.” Ben answered, an edge to his voice. 

Rey rolled her eyes, “Poe, you need to act like your abuela is at the table, my husband's bringing a good friend of his, and he's super protective of her. “Can you meet us there a little before seven?” She worried her bottom lip; she knew involving friends at this point well – okay, there wasn't a precedent for this, but it might go a long way to easing the tension. 

“I'll be on my better than best behavior.” He chuckled, “see you at seven, Peanut.” he ended the call before she could.

“Trust me, Poe Dameron's not as obnoxious as he tends to act. He's just...” She dropped her phone on the bed, “he loves to use the drama, as you put it.” 

“Rose says she'll see us at Arabella, and to not even think about asking her to share an order of tiramisu.” He slumped down onto the bed. “A guide of some kind really would have helped. Questions, suggestions on what to do – something.”

She fell down as well, her hand brushing against his hair – just as soft as she imagined it, and she resisted the urge to start running her fingers through it. “You think we can trade in the hotel and what not for a rental car and drive to the Grand Canyon? I've never seen it – and really, if we're in a car, we can play an endless game of twenty questions.” 

“Do you know how insane that sounds?” He chuckled, “although it's not a terrible idea, and you've chosen an excellent destination.” 

*

Rose tried not think too much about the strangeness of this whole scenario. When Ben showed up outside the truck this afternoon and announced what had happened, she'd wanted to smack him upside the head. Of course, it wasn't like she had a host of friends whom she could introduce him to, and in his line of work, he had to watch for women who weren't looking for a relationship, but a leg-up. Disgusting. From what she'd observed, Rey seemed perfectly nice – and funny. Funny was what he needed, not vapid and vain. 

Arriving first at Arabella wasn't a surprise to her. Ben was notoriously early for everything, but, if he had company, he always ran late. She glanced over the top of her menu as the hostess escorted a man, around Ben's age, over to the table. She arched an eyebrow, refusing to show emotion. “You're Rey's friend, I take it?” 

“Yeah.” He grinned, holding out his hand, “Poe Dameron, and you?” 

She set the menu down and took his hand, shaking it before he sat. “Rose Tico, I run a food truck with my sister, and I have a boyfriend who plays professional hockey.” 

To his credit, his smile didn't waver. “Poe Dameron, Fed Ex captain, and I resent my coworker thinking I'm the Latin Captain Jack Harkness.” 

“You like _Doctor Who_ , so you get a point in the decent column. Provided you know the series didn't begin with Christopher Eccleston.” She took a drink of water as the waitress set down a glass of water in front of Poe, along with a menu. “Don't ask to split a dessert with me. I never share sweets.” 

“Same.” He chuckled, “unless it's cookies my abuela sent me. She'll know if I didn't share them, which is her whole intent in sending me two dozen when she does. And my favorite classic era Doctor is Sylvester McCoy.” 

“My gran doesn't bake, but she does make some excellent soup.” She countered as the hostess returned, this time with Rey and Ben. “You're late.” 

“I'm never late.” Her friend leaned down and kissed her cheek, “everyone else is simply early. And don't give me grief for quoting ' _The Princess Diaries_ ' we saw that movie together, thank you.” 

Rey snickered, “sorry, we had traffic to contend with.” She gave Ben an odd look as he pulled out her chair. “Why did you...” she sat down when Rose gestured towards the seat. “First time for everything, I guess.” 

“Yeah.” Ben pushed her chair in and slid in the seat next to Rose. The seating arrangement felt a little odd; sitting next to her friend while he faced Rey, and Poe faced her,though he seemed more keen to look Ben over than her. All the better for it. “This isn't the most uncomfortable table I've sat at.” He grinned, “Aunt Jyn says hi, by the way.” 

“Amazing Aunt Jyn.” She picked up her menu, “and Incredible Uncle Cassian.” she caught the look Poe gave them, before turning to Rey.

“You know what they're talking about, Peanut?”

“Long story, I'll tell you some other time.” She breathed, “Poe, this is Ben, Ben this Poe. We've taken a few Airbuses to Europe and various parts of Central America together.” 

Ben held out his hand and the two men shook, “nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise.” Poe gave Rey another sideways glance, “so you both live in Memphis?” He shifted his attention back at the menu, “Rose, you're the local, what's good here?” 

“Everything. I usually build my own pasta bowl.” This was going to turn into the dinner of looks before too long, “Aunt Jyn and Uncle Cassian are okay, right Con thỏ ?”

“Just fine, she's in Denver, currently preparing to sit down to dinner with my dad and Rey's dads. Our uncle is somewhere in Asia, probably asleep.” 

“You've got two dads, Rey?” She smiled, “That's pretty cool.” 

The younger woman held up her hands, “why couldn't the people I went to high school with be as chill about it as you guys?” 

“Because most people are assholes in high school.” she replied, “and here I thought everyone in Colorado was laid back and open minded.” 

“It's the state's guilty secret. Don't let anyone know I told you.” She answered as the waitress returned. 

“Can I bring you all anything else to drink?” She set water glasses down in front of Rey and Ben. “Or a salad to start off with?”

The need for roughage was apparently on all their minds tonight; Rose found it slightly amusing she and Ben ordered the same thing – spinach salad with strawberries, feta cheese and pecans, while Rey and Poe both ordered the Cesar. She'd long maintained any salad someone else makes tastes a thousand times better than one you make for yourself.

Breakfast fell under the description too.

“So how did the rest of the day in the truck treat you?” Ben asked once the waitress had left. “No terrible customers?”

“Same old, same old – I'm just glad Paige and I always call it a night around five. There's too much competition after sundown, and really, it's a wonder we're never chased out of the French Quarter by some half-crazed chef hopped up on thinking there's something wrong with not charging for atmosphere.” She shot a look at Poe, “you like bah mi sandwiches?” 

He shifted in his chair, “The ones I've had, yes.” He cleared his throat, “I don't live in Memphis, I live in Miami, or as I call it, Hurricane Alley.”

“You only refuse to move to Tennessee because you claim to like the ocean. Like you can't go and see it when you fly there.” Rey interjected, “I love the mountains, but then I remember the lovely winters of my childhood in Colorado.” 

“No thank you.” Ben stated before she could say anything. “Snow's pretty to look at it, but not to drive in.” 

“No kidding.” Rey added as the waitress returned and set their salads in front of them. 

“Are we ready to order?” The woman inquired, drawing her order pad out of her apron. 

The requests turned out identical again; except now she and Poe matched, and Rey and Ben did. If she didn't know better, Rose half expected Finn to show up with Candid Camera. 

“So what do you do, Ben?” Poe asked once the waitress left. “I didn't give Rey a chance to tell me.”

“I'm an extras and locations casting agent.” He grinned, “I don't find stars, I find spear carriers.” he turned to her. “Is that still an acceptable polite term? I can't keep track of what's okay and what's not these days.” 

“Given the fact you do a lot of work with Civil War reenactors, wouldn't the proper term be saber-rattlers?” She chuckled, stabbing a strawberry.

“Bayonet swinger?” He shook his head, “something along those lines. Do a lot of work, get a little thanks, and, if the producers aren't total assholes, an invite to one of the premieres.” 

“We have the boring job, Peanut.” Poe sliced a pepper in half, “but we don't have to worry about rowdy passengers, and packages don't mind the turbulence.” He shrugged, “lot of stamps in the passport.” 

Rey made a slight face, “It's all fun and games until some hot-shot exec in their overpriced private plane demands to know what you're doing on their runway.” she managed a smile, “I suspect you have your share of customers stories.” 

“And how.” She paused, “okay, if Poe calls you Peanut, Rey – what do you call him?”

“Bean.” She sighed, setting her fork down. “The past few days have revealed a slew of nicknames – most of which only certain people are allowed to call us by.” She grinned at Ben, “right, Fluffy?”

Rose gaped as Ben showed no reaction other than to take a sip of water. “Yes, Gingersnap.” 

“Miss Tico?” Poe cleared his throat, picking up his fork, “you want to make a bet?”

“If it's how long it takes for these two to fall head-over-heels in love, I give it by the first of August.” She grinned, “if I'm wrong, I'll send you the Dunkin Donuts card Ben's not getting for the reality show bet.” 

Both Rey and Ben went pink.

“I'll take your bet. I say it'll happen by Independence Day.” He started to laugh as their friends went even redder.

“You finished or do you have another round of embarrassment to give?” Ben managed, taking another drink of water.

“Okay, I'll behave.” She sat back, picking up her fork, “but you did turn up at my counter with a wife this afternoon. I figure that's a week's worth of teasing.” 

“Yes, and you're just overexcited you won the bet against Paige when she felt certain I'd turn up with a husband instead.” He retorted, turning his attention to his salad.

It was her turn to blush as Poe started to laugh. “Rey, you failed to mention your husband has a decent sense of humor. Shame on you.” He grinned, “and is Paige single?”

“Paige Tico would eat you alive and not get a drop of blood on her.” Ben sighed, “and Rose has already hidden enough bodies in the swamp for her if she simply kills you with her eyes.” 

Rey cleared her throat, “I'm certain you helped her toss a few in, Fluffy.” 

“No one saw us leave, no one saw us there, you can't prove anything.” Rose declared, spearing a tomato with her fork.

*

Jyn Erso-Andor, oddly enough, didn't think the way Ben had gotten married too bizarre. Considering how he spent his teen years, she couldn't quite blame him in doing what he did. People looking from the outside had a hard time understanding why he and Rose weren't a couple. Everything from the outset said they should, but those two never clicked like that. She'd seen both of them at their worst, and since she and Cassian never had children of their own – the lives they saved donating bone marrow became their children by proxy. 

Pictures graced the walls of their house, kids who sent them letters and invitations to major events – graduations, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings – and things outsiders would dismiss as irrelevant. A stranger might wonder why they had a dozen school pictures of the same kid, some kid who wasn't even theirs – but in a fashion, they were. Cancer was a scourge and if she and Cassian could let a child have one more birthday, one more class picture.... all the better for it.

“You're over-thinking again, Jyn.” She muttered, stepping out of the rental car and slamming the door. April felt in February to her, and she clutched the collar of her coat, missing the warmth of Atlanta. At least she hadn't needed to get too dressed up for dinner. 

Sweeping into the lobby area, she frowned when she saw Han wasn't there yet. Typical. According to Leia, almost as soon as he retired he lost his ability to show up on time. Although the warmth in the restaurant combined with the rich smell of spices warmed her instantly, her stomach rumbling in anticipation; her lunch consisted of a McDonald's Happy Meal.

“Cold?” A middle aged man with short dark hair said, and she kept her face even when she noticed he was blind; a golden lab with a guide harness waited at his feet.

“I woke up this morning to seventy-two degrees and sunshine.” she countered, pulling off her coat and stepping aside as another dark haired man sat down beside him. “Who's your four legged friend?”

“Thor.” He laughed, “don't worry, he is well behaved and trained.” 

“Best behaved member of the family if you ask me.” the second man said as Jyn folded her coat over her arms. “Pardon me for asking, ma'am, but is your name Leia Solo?” 

She blinked, “no, but I know Leia.” She smiled, “you must be Chirrut and Baze. Han told me about you when I ran into him on the plane.” 

The man chuckled, “You his sister?” 

“Not exactly.” She held out her hand. “Jyn Erso-Andor. I met the Solos when Ben was a teenager.” 

The second man took it, giving it a hard squeeze. “Pleasure. Guess that means you're here so Han isn't facing us alone.” 

“Purely by chance.” She grinned and took the other man's hand when he offered it. “Um, I'm not certain who's who, if you'll forgive me.”

“Not a problem.” the blind man said, “I'm Chirrut, and I take it Han has already told you what's happened with Ben and our daughter, Rey.” 

She snickered, “not in great detail, but yes. Trust me, impulsive behavior is not something Benjamin Solo indulges in with any regularity.” 

“Given the vetting process for the show, I don't believe impulsive is the correct term.” Baze interjected, “though I feel our daughter's behavior is out of character as well.” He sighed, “Well, it's their mess to clean up, the best we can do is support them.” 

Jyn leaned against the wall, sighing. “True, and I can't remember the last time I had Indian food.” 

“You're in for a treat, this is the best place in Denver to get it.” Chirrut stated, “and what do you do, Jyn Erso-Andor?” 

“It's just Jyn, please. I'm an architect, I came to Colorado for a presentation, I came a day early because I don't trust Denver weather in April.” She felt rather silly saying it, particularly to total strangers.

“Don't blame you there.” Baze offered, “I don't believe the snow's truly gone until June, and I don't care what people think if I do.” 

“It hasn't snowed in June since Xiǎo Hǔ was in grade school. And it was only a flurry.” Chirrut declared.

She barely covered her snort. “If we have a flurry in Atlanta in December, the city shuts down.” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “can you imagine what would happen if it snowed in Los Angeles?” 

“That's a cheap disaster movie.” Baze scoffed, “snow in Sydney, soaring temps in Reykjavik, there's a movie for you.” 

“Iceland used thermal heat to make bananas grow, so they might actually embrace warm weather. Though I still say the best reality show of all time will happen if people in Sydney and Calgary swapped houses for two months starting in February.” She answered as the door opened and Han came into the restaurant. “Traffic?” 

“Yeah.” He slid a hand through his hair, “sorry to make you all wait.” 

“Not a problem, I know what the roads around here are like.” Baze stood up and walked over to him, giving the other man a once over. “Is your son taller or shorter than you?”

“Taller.” He chuckled, “don't ask me how it happened, all I know, one morning I go to work and I'm looking down at him, I come back five days later and I had to look up.” 

Jyn smirked and leaned closer to Chirrut. “Don't believe it. Ben stood on a chair on the return trip.” 

The man laughed, shaking his head, “you're a funny one, Mrs. Andor.” He took Thor's harness in one hand, “I think we're the next party. I'm going to need your help to keep those two in check.” He shook his head, “much as it pains me.” 

“Oh, let them have their fun. I never turn down free entertainment.” She laughed as a thin woman in a dark green and yellow sari stepped around the hostess stand, menus against her arm. 

“I noticed your party had grown from three to four, Mr. Malbus.” she smiled, “your table's ready.” 

No one gave them a second look from what she saw as they walked to their seats, taking the chair on Han's left. She'd texted with Leia earlier, and the woman was delighted Han had company for the meeting, since she couldn't attend. Once everyone had sat down and Thor had decided her foot made a much better pillow than Chirrut's, she wondered who would tell the men across the table of her connection to the Solos – her or Han. 

Baze kept looking over his menu at her. “You're allowed to eat meat today, yes?” 

“What?” She frowned, “I don't understand, why couldn't I have meat?”

“Your cross.” He inclined his head, “you're some form of Christian, and I know some people of that faith have rules about when you can and cannot have meat.” 

“It's a crucifix, Lent's over, and even if it wasn't, the point's moot because it's not Friday.” She smiled, “but I appreciate the thought. Most wouldn't bother to learn. I gave soda up for Lent this year, and now I can't stand the taste of it.” 

“When you teach, you never stop learning.” He frowned, “so what does a crucifix mean if it's not the same as a cross?”

“Someone wearing a crucifix is Catholic.” She smiled, looking back down at her menu, “plain crosses you never know. They could be any denomination of Christianity, a goth, or someone who likes to wear pretty jewelery.” 

“It's impolite to stare, Baze.” Chirrut offered as he set his menu flat on the table, his fingers slowly moving across the braille, “you know better and can behave more properly in front of dinner guests.” 

“Humph.” He replied, “I wasn't staring.” He turned his focus on his menu as Han set his down.

“Baze, Chirrut...I'm only going to say this once.” He gave her a sideways look, “you're allowed to give Leia and I all the shit you want. Jyn however, is completely off-limits. Sixteen years ago, she donated bone marrow and saved my son's life. Case closed, I'm taking no arguments, if you aren't nice to her, you're going to find yourselves sitting at this table alone.” 

Jyn felt like crawling under said table as her face went pink. “Han...”

“Thor likes Mrs Andor, Baze. I can tell by her voice she's a remarkably kind woman. You can play bad cop when Xiǎo Hǔ brings her fool of a husband to visit.” Chirrut laughed as the waitress came back over to the table. “And Jyn has done something remarkable, and therefore, has earned a mango lassie.”

“Hear hear.” Han interjected and gave her a wink. “And you know Cassian would agree with him.”

“Lord help me...” she shook her head, “if I ever die from embarrassment, Han Solo, you'll find yourself at the top of the list of suspects for my murder.” 

The waitress cleared her throat, clearly trying to keep a straight face. “May I bring you all something to drink?”

“Mango lassie for the lovely life-saving lady and myself.” Chirrut spoke before anyone else could. “Don't worry, I'm not driving.” 

“I can't take you anywhere.” Baze muttered, “and that joke is getting old.” 

“Not as old as you.” the other man countered, laughing. 

*

Ben fell back on the bed, groaning. “Okay, I think I've had my weekly intake of carbs in a single day.” He let out a sigh as Rey laid down next to him, kicking off her heels. “Your feet feeling all right?”

“Yeah. I should remember a little Poe Dameron goes a long way.” she threw her arm over her eyes. “but all things considered, dinner wasn't half bad. Good food, even better company.”

He toed off his shoes, sighing. “I forward the motion we sleep in tomorrow. Late as we want.” 

“Agreed.” she rolled over and off the bed. “It's definitely pajama time.” She padded over to her bag, “well, more like two hours ago. I hope Poe's flight isn't super early.” 

“It supposed to rain tomorrow,” he rolled over onto his front and watched her take out the same clothes she'd worn to bed last night. “An automatic reason to stay put.” He yawned, “after the past two days, we need a lazy one.” 

She nodded, looking back at him, “you can have the bathroom first. I take longer than you do.” 

“Thanks.” He got to his feet, getting his sleep clothes from his bag as he went towards the bath, “get ready for bed, get into our usual positions, go to sleep.” He yawned and shut the door, setting the garments down next to the sink. Their toiletry bags stood side by side on the counter, the whole scenario looking perfectly domestic; and he shrugged out of his clothes and pulled on his pajama pants. He and Rey couldn't learn everything about each other in this short time span before they returned to Memphis; nothing more than the basics, and major factors – but little things, things you didn't think about until you came to them...

“You're over-thinking again.” He sighed, taking out his toothbrush. “Two days and it already feels like two weeks.” Well, he might consider the statement an exaggeration. Too much had happened in the last thirty-six hours. What the two of them desperately needed was a good night's sleep and a day of doing absolutely nothing. They could lie around in the hotel room and watch TV, or something of that nature. 

Turning the sink on, he got to work brushing his teeth. The off-hand idea from this afternoon of driving to the Grand Canyon came back to him, though he wasn't sure how far it Arizona was from their current location – few rental car places would let you return the car from a place other than where you got it from. Still... it had an appeal to it. Alone in the car for several days would give them plenty of time to talk, get to know one another....

If they couldn't handle each other for two days in a rented mini-van then they might as well file for divorce as soon as they returned to Memphis.

“Holy shit, you're stacked.” Rey's voice caused him to jump as he rinsed his brush and turned off the water. “Sorry, I....” 

“I didn't hear you knock, if you did.” he put the toothbrush back in its holder, “and don't worry about it. It's not the first time a girl's seen me without a shirt. Every time I go swimming, for example.” 

“That's different.” She wouldn't meet his gaze. “I should have known you'd have an eight pack.” 

He tugged on his shirt, deciding not to tease her about her embarrassment. “Thank you?” He stepped over to her and put a hand on her chin. “Hey... what did you need?”

Her face went all the more pink. “Would you believe me if I said I forgot? My brain sort of short circuited, and now...” 

Ben kissed the top of her head. “See if you can't think of it while you're cleaning up, I promise, I won't disturb you.” He stepped past her into the room and shut the bathroom door firmly behind him. “And before you say anything, I am being nice, Gingersnap.” 

“Insufferable Fluffy!” She retorted and he laughed as he went to turn down the covers. 

The bed here was significantly larger than the one they'd shared in Memphis. He flung the duvet cover onto the floor; he never trusted hotels to keep the things clean. He picked up their discarded shoes and set them by their bags. People with issues about high-rise hotels never had to deal with street noise during their stays in shorter, more aesthetically pleasing places – from their vantage point on the twenty-first floor, they had a lovely view of the Mississippi River, the French Quarter – and all the traffic they currently weren't a part of. 

He left the curtains open as he turned down the sheets, trying to calm his thoughts. The whole subject of intimacy – at least, in terms of sex, was on the list of things which would not happening between the two of them any time soon. They'd agreed on it last night over dinner; things were complicated enough, and adding sex to the mix this early was like sleeping with someone on the first date. A month, they decided, was enough time before they came to crossing that bridge. 

Snuggling however – perfectly fine.

Ben still remained prepared to sleep on the floor if she wanted him to. Although in the brief time he'd known her, she'd insist he call up for a cot bed. Which was almost as bad – he'd not fit into a regular sized bed lengthways in over ten years.

“Road trip.” Rey stated as she came into the room. “The idea of taking a road trip. You still think it's a good idea?” 

He shrugged, “the trouble isn't getting to the Grand Canyon, the trouble is getting back. Not to mention by the time we could arrange it all, we'd have, at best, eight hours at the Canyon, and judging from the photographs, that's nowhere near enough time.” 

“True.” she went around to the other side of the bed and got under the covers, sighing. “though it's late enough in the year we don't have to worry about snow.” She chuckled, “shame our parents live so far apart, or we could make a circuit to visit them.” 

“There's not another three day weekend coming up, unless your dads have to teach after Memorial Day. But I doubt Denver calls school off enough for that to happen.” He turned on the bedside lamp before turning off the main light and getting into the bed. “Though something tells me they'll show up in Memphis before this month's out.” 

“There's something to discuss tomorrow. Talk about the moving thing.” She sighed, leaning back against the headboard. “Guess it's pretty obvious it's easier for me to move into your place. Like I said yesterday, pretty much all I do at my studio is sleep, shower and do laundry. I don't even have that much to pack up.”

Ben looked down at his hands, feeling sheepish. “I'm sorry.” 

“Why?, it's not your fault. More than half of my belongings are still in Rubbermaid totes at my dads' house. I take a few things with me every time I visit, but....” she shook her head, “I just need some serious bookshelves.” 

“You like to read?” He gave her a sideways smile. “and have you flatly refused to part with any books in your collection since you started it?”

“Guilty as charged.” she grinned, covering a yawn. “Well, some of my childhood books vanished when I wasn't looking – and neither of my dads will tell me where they went. Probably to a church or school library.” 

“I know the feeling.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “I have a lot of books too. Fiction, non-fiction, and a shelf full of bound annotated screenplays. Not all of them for films I helped with casting on.” He sighed, “I flip through them every now and then, more for the notes than to read the text.” 

“One of those things people connected to the film industry give one another for presents, or something?” She laid down, adjusting her pillows. 

“Yeah. They weren't used by big-name actors or actresses either.” He shrugged, “usually it's from someone in the crew,” he set up his phone and charger. “which makes for a lot of lovely notes about suppliers. The technical departments seem divided on which is better, Home Depot or Lowe's.”

“I bet.” she yawned as she set her own phone to charge. “So do you have like a district or something where it's your location to look?”

“Basically anything below the Mason-Dixon line on the east side of the Mississippi. Or to put it another way, any state which formed the Confederate States of America excluding Texas and Florida but including Maryland and Kentucky.” He turned out the light and slid under the covers, setting a pillow between his legs. “I can rattle off the name of twenty towns which could pass for any time before nineteen seventy, if you remember to CGI the mobile phone towers and the occasional modern billboard advert out.” 

“They remember to take care of big things like that – and yet, you can see a kid with a digital watch in the classroom in A Christmas Story, though I'm guessing the kid thought his shirt cuff would hide it, or or something.” There was a rustling noise and a moment later, he felt her face pressed against his back. “trouble with hotel duvets – they're almost never clean, but they add warmth.” 

“You're cold?” He looked back at her, “you want me to turn the AC off?”

“No.” She mumbled, snuggling closer to him. “You're warm enough.” she took a breath, “so Finn's not really in Las Vegas?” 

He chuckled, “well, he was – he left the event early to return to his parent's house in Minnesota.” he smiled, “he's got a ring for Rose he wants to get. And before you ask, yes, Paige knows what he's doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to the lovely people at The Reylo Writing Den -for all the help in the writing of this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey stay in for a day, Jyn pays Chirrut a visit, and Leia is bound for Denver and runs into someone she doesn't want to see in the airport.

Ben came out of the shower the next morning to find Rey looking absolutely miserable from her place in the bed, glowering at nothing in particular. He pushed his damp hair out of his face and walked across to join her, setting a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “You feeling okay?” 

“No.” her eyes narrowed, “cramps.” she kept shooting daggers at him. “and no, I'm not sorry if it disgusts you.” 

He coughed, pulling away and picking up his phone. “Lady parts acting the way they're designed to doesn't gross me out. I spent the better part of puberty in a chemo ward, and we used to compare puke colors and discern the contents for fun.” He scrolled through to his Target App. “So, since we agreed to spend the day in, do you need anything from the Target? Lady products, chocolate, highly specific flavor of Lay's potato chips?”

Rey grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. “You're serious, aren't you?”

“I never joke about food.” He gave her a smile, “look at the bright side, you get to lounge around and nurse your cramps, instead of having to work and keep your discomfort hidden because someone still has the mindset of a fifteen year old.” 

“Yeah, yeah...” she let out a breath, “do you even know where to find the nearest Target?” 

“According to the app, it's a fifteen minute drive, if the traffic behaves, and I don't get lost with all the one way streets.” He scanned his usual list of snacks, “seriously, is there anything you want or need?” 

“Salt and Vinegar Lays, Flaming Hot Cheetos, Ranch Doritos, and Sprite.” She paused, “can I use your phone so I make sure I get the right kind of tampons?” 

“Absolutely.” he handed her the device. “but don't think I'm going to kiss you after you eat any of those chips. Not unless you brush your teeth first.” He ducked as she struck him with a pillow. “Fine, no kisses at all.” 

“Has anyone other than Rose told you that you're insufferable?” She tapped his phone a few times before handing it back to him, “and don't think I'm sharing my snacks.” 

“I'll get my own chips, don't worry. I'll submit the order, head downstairs to bring back some decent coffee and doughnuts, and you find us something to watch on television.” He gave her a half smile, “or take a long shower, whatever you want to do.” 

Rey gave him a sideways look, “you don't have some wife in an insane asylum do you, because you're definitely too good to be true.” 

“No.” He kept his gaze on the phone, “besides, I'm a little too young to pass as Mr. Rochester, don't you think?” 

“Depends, we talking today's terms or the time in which the novel's set?” She slid out of bed, moving slowly towards the bathroom. “so glad the cameras are gone.” She grabbed a fresh pair of pajamas from her bag. “no sprinkles on my doughnuts, please.” 

“More for me then.” Ben chuckled as he stood, slipping his phone into his back pocket and pulled on his sandals, taking up the room key. “take all the time you need. We have nothing planned, no place we need to go today.” He ducked out of the room as he heard the bathroom door shut. 

He didn't see many people out and about in the hotel this time of the morning; New Orleans thrived on nightlife, and given the time of the week, most of the travelers came here on business, rather than any form of entertainment. He showed his room key to the person at the counter in front of the breakfast room, moving mostly on autopilot as he filled two containers with doughnuts, turkey bacon, and fruit. Lots of fruit.

In his estimation, he and Rey seemed to get along extremely well. Day three of their marriage and he felt things working out far better than he had dared to hope. In truth, he hadn't expected to get paired with someone he'd actually relate to in the slightest. He'd seen the show in the past, and knew the compatibility experts were idiots. They had put him and Rey together not because they thought they would make a perfect couple, but instead looking for drama. 

Because nothing said drama like a Jewish boy who outwardly ticked all the 'proper' boxes for the usual audience, and a somewhat-lax Buddhist girl with two dads. 

Now the show wouldn't follow them around and somehow, it seemed all the better this way. 

He balanced two large cups of coffee with lids on top of the containers and made his way back upstairs. Well, getting to know one another without a camera in the corner made everything easier.

Rey hadn't left the bathroom as he set their breakfast on the little table in the corner and his phone buzzed – one hour and thirty minutes until their order was ready. Kicking off his sandals, Ben sat on the foot of the bed and turned the television on, flipping through the channels, stopping on Turner Classic Movies, showing _Meet Me in St Louis._ His mother had a strange obsession with the film, well, she had an obsession with any musical movies, period. He didn't care for many of them, unless Judy Garland appeared in the cast.

His mother felt the same about Debbie Reynolds, and Dad – Dad remained wholly indifferent towards musicals – he remained devoted to Westerns, mainly anything with John Wayne.

“Are you watching a musical?” Rey's voice came from the bathroom and she crossed over to the small table, opening up the boxes, and taking a sip from the other coffee cup. “I thought you didn't eat bacon.” 

“It's turkey bacon.” he glared at her over the rim of his cup, “and yes, I'm watching a Judy Garland movie. Sue me.” 

“Wouldn't dream of it.” she brought the container with the bacon and fruit with her to the bed as she sat. “My Papa loves this movie too. Yes, blind people watch movies.” 

“Did I say anything?” He picked up a slice of melon, wrapping a piece of bacon around it. “Or did you mistake me for some of the assholes you went to high school with?” 

“Sorry.” she grumbled, more to her coffee than to him. “I tend to always go on the defense when my dads are involved, so having someone I've only known a short time not act weird feels a little... weird too.” 

He chuckled, “well, you're still waking up to have taken my head off completely, so I'll give it a pass on the basis you haven't had enough coffee yet.” 

“Insufferable.” she muttered, taking another drink of coffee and they settled into the movie and breakfast. 

*

Jyn hadn't had the opportunity to have an in-depth talk with either Baze or Chirrut, which led her to standing outside the main office of the Denver School for the Blind, signing herself in as a guest. She gave the secretary a smile as she stuck the name badge on her lapel.

“To get to the music room, you need to go down corridor A to the second staircase, go up to the next floor, and follow the noise.” the woman smiled, “don't worry, you don't need to worry about dodging teenagers on the west side of the school.” 

“Compared to the chaos that is Hartfield International in Atlanta, a hallway full of teenagers is nothing.” She beamed as the woman buzzed her into the building and she followed the directions, keeping to the left side of the passageway. The whole interior of the school was brightly lit; and she had the urge to slip her sunglasses back on. She'd visited a slew of schools before settling on her design for Eisenhower High back in North Carolina, and the only thing she knew the most important thing was to keep the gym and the cafeteria as far apart as possible.

Posters decorated the walls of the second staircase, student made ones which she didn't know fell under the category of abstract art or not. As Jyn reached the top of the stairs, the aforementioned noise reached her – sticks being hit against each other, tambourines, and if she wasn't mistaken, a triangle or two as she came to the music room, and she ducked into the room to find two dozen children, second graders by the looks of them, having a grand time. 

The child nearest her, holding a tambourine, turned in her direction, the coke-bottle glasses on his face gave him an owlish appearance. “Mr. Îmwe, we have a visitor!” He cried, and the instruments fell silent as Chirrut hit the large walking stick in his hand against the ground. 

He smiled, “class, this is Mrs Andor. Can we all say hello?” 

“Hello, Mrs Andor.” the children chorused as a bell rang. 

Chirrut stood, taking up a box. “All right, children, bring your instruments forward and then line up, Miss Jordan will....”

“I'm here!” Another woman called from the doorway. “Sorry, got caught up grading papers.” 

“It happens to all of us.” he answered and Jyn stayed to the side of the classroom as the kids filled out, skirting up towards the front of the room, automatically helping the man sort the instruments. “Before you ask, I remember the smell of your lotion. Only person I know who uses the scent, though I can't place it.” 

“Sea Island Cotton, because Bath and Body Works won't release the linen scents outside of candles.” she sighed, dropping a tambourine into the box. “Where's...” she jumped as she felt something cold against her leg and looked down to see Thor. “Never mind.” 

“It's all right, Jyn.” He chuckled, “I didn't expect you to visit again, is Mr. Solo unwell?” 

“He's fine, last time I checked.” She took a breath, “I need to talk to you about something important. I'm down here because I understand Baze is in the middle of helping students prepare for the ACT.” 

“Yes, yes.” He smiled, leaning against the table, “best just say it, holding it in will only make it worse.” 

“Ben has an uncle no one in the family speaks to, they're estranged. For his sake, and those of his parents, do not try and communicate with him, or think you can 'patch things up.'” she took a breath, “do you want the long version or the Sparknotes?” 

“Sparknotes, Jyn,” his smile had faded some, “I can tell by your voice this uncle must have done something horrible.” 

She swallowed, looking down into the box, her stomach turning over. “Back when Ben was a teenager, a few weeks after having the transplant, his parents sent him to visit his uncle, he lived in Oregon. They thought fresh air, all that lovely nature stuff would help.” 

“Fresh air does work wonders.” his frowned deepened. “What happened?” 

“The night Ben got there, his uncle took all of his medication – and I mean all of it, from the ibuprofen to the chemo drugs, the stuff he needed to stay healthy, and destroyed it – said the medicine was making him sick, and he'd get better and cured if he stopped taking any of it.” She barely kept the venom from her voice. “By the end of the week, Ben knew he was headed for a relapse, he knew the good mornings from the bad by then, but well...” 

“His uncle said it had to hurt to heal, or some other such nonsense?” He shook his head, “I'm willing to bet this man rails against vaccinations too.” 

“It wouldn't surprise me.” She took a breath, “the nearest hospital was too far to walk, so Ben did the only thing he could think of, went looking for a park ranger, or state trooper, and ended up collapsing in a wildfire lookout tower.” Jyn saw Chirrut's hand tighten on Thor's harness. “Like I said, it's complicated.” 

He made an odd noise, causing Thor's head to come up. “I do not blame Mrs. Solo for cutting off ties with her brother for what he did.” he set his free hand on the dog, petting it slowly. “I take it you chose not to bring this up last night for risk it would upset Han.” 

“The man does have high blood pressure and I'm not about to aggravate it.” Jyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even with the show's next season in peril, or not happening at all, people will find out about Ben and Rey. I don't know where Luke currently is, but considering the sort of apology he'd have to come up with...” 

“Indeed.” He cleared his throat. “Would you be so good as to check the classroom for forgotten instruments or any other trip hazards?” 

Jyn nodded, “sure. I'm not cutting into your lunch time, am I?” 

He laughed as he walked over to his desk. “Not at all. How did your meeting go?” 

“Quick and easy, because no one asked insipid questions.” she straightened the few desks at the back of the room. “So it ended well before it was scheduled to. I declined the offer of lunch, because I don't trust meat salads unless I know the person who made it.” 

*

Rey felt a thousand times better after a long shower. She came out of the bathroom, rubbing her hair dry to find Ben sorting the items from Target on the bed. “I don't think I've seen this much junk food in one place since I went back to my dads' house in January.” 

“Well, there's some healthy food here too.” He lifted a small container of cut-up veggies and stuck them in the room's small fridge, followed by a quart of milk. “My only problem with pick-up is they use way more plastic bags than needed.” He set the bags of chips in a row. “Good thing we got the regular sized bags, we can't leave the leftovers for the housekeeping staff, health violation or something.” 

She chuckled as she came over, giving him a one armed hug. “I think we can put a decent enough dent in all of them we won't feel bad about having to chuck some into the bin.” She wrinkled her nose when she caught sight of one of the bags of chips. “Lémon flavor?”

“That's rich coming from someone who asked for salt and vinegar. It's weird, I like lime flavor with potato, but hate it on tortilla chips.” He returned the hug. “I think the drivers here in Louisiana make the ones from Missouri and Kentucky look amazing.” 

“I hate Tennessee drivers.” She countered, picking up the box of tampons and setting them next to her bag while Ben finished sorting the snacks into his and hers. “and don't say I'm one because I live there. I'm a Colorado driver.” 

“And I'm a North Carolina driver.” He stuffed all the empty plastic bags into one, setting them aside. “but in all honesty, I don't think we can blame them. This city has potholes which could double as kitchen sinks.” 

“Not to mention the narrowness of said roads.” she sighed, going back to hang up her towel. “Though I know of some frightful potholes back home. About the only place I never see any is on the runway.” 

“I think runways are made of a lot sterner stuff than asphalt. Not to mention it'll cause a much bigger problem if there's a pothole there than say, the access road next to it.” he replied, yawning. “you want to pick out something to watch on television?” 

Combing her hair with her fingers, she returned, sitting down on the foot of the bed. “I'm not in the mood.” she rolled her shoulders. “I'm up for another round of getting to know one another.” 

Ben sat down behind her. “You want a shoulder rub?” 

“Sure, I'll give you one too.” she let out a breath as he started to work the knots from her upper back. “what haven't we discussed?” 

“I think we covered the major ones, food, film, religion, weather, jobs, and family. We decided politics need to stay off the table, along with books, because you don't have the time to read.” he snickered, “you can't exactly listen to audiobooks while working.” 

“True.” she leaned forward so he could get more of her back. “Sports we gleaned over, united in our mutual hatred of the New England Patriots, and you have yet to tell me more about hockey.” 

“Who drives worse, Missouri or Kentucky?” he countered, “and no, you can't say Arkansas.” 

“Given the time I spend there, I'm going with Florida. I think they've never heard of a turn signal, or if they have, they think using one is merely a suggestion.” She let out a groan. “why are you so good at this?” 

“The things you learn at chemo. Rose used to walk on people's backs in high school.” Ben chuckled, “and yes, she's walked on mine a few times.” 

“I think she'd have to. You tower over her by over a foot.” Rey snickered, “who are the worst drivers in your opinion then?” 

“South Carolina.” he laughed, “you'd think they're the Carolina famous for car racing.” 

“Maybe they're all running from the ghosts of Sherman's March.” She covered her mouth, “oh lord, I didn't mean....” 

“I know what you mean. As the daughter of a history teacher, I expect you to say such things. I'm certain you have some other brilliant zingers in your brain.” he let out a breath, “and your theory does hold some merit. Everyone in a hurry to get away from something. Though strangely, the second both states hear the word 'hurricane' we have the good sense to act accordingly. You only have to live through one to know there's no shame in getting out of harm's way.” 

“I never get why people would stay, unless they absolutely had to.” she clasped her knees as his hands moved to her lower back. “I've never experienced a hurricane, but having to circle an airport or divert because of a tornado, about as much fun.” 

“I think I'll take 'your flight's canceled because of a massive snowstorm' instead.” he rubbed at a tense knot in her lower back. “And yes, only one in twelve people in North Carolina know how to drive in the snow.”

“I always say it's a matter of the people who know how to drive in snow, can't, because everyone's acting like they can.” She countered, flinching as a joint popped. “Much better.” She gave him a smile as she straightened, and moved aside. “Come on, Fluffy. Your turn.” 

*

Leia covered a yawn as she waited for her plane to begin boarding. She knew she couldn't leave Han alone out there in Denver, and really, she felt terribly left out of the whole situation, sitting in the house, or in her office, while who knew what all WAS going on in Colorado. 

Besides, Han didn't have the best of the pictures of Ben, and really, her son should have expected she'd take off as soon as she could get away from the University. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to read the text. 

_Let me know when your flight's scheduled to land. I'll come pick you up._

She chuckled and fired off a reply.

_Right now, we haven't even boarded. Severe weather keeping me grounded in Atlanta._

She would much rather stay down here, off the plane, out of the sky and safe than go up in a thunderstorm. 

_Don't worry, Denver isn't going anywhere. I got talked into coming to the school tomorrow. Guess retired airline pilot is exciting to little kids._

She laughed, shaking her head. 

_How could you forget? Ben's classmates acted extremely jealous in third grade because his dad had a 'cool' job._

Tucking her phone back into her bag, she turned her focus to the window and the driving rain falling outside. She had chosen to fly into Atlanta as opposed to another hub like Memphis or Chicago, because of the shortness of the layover. Right now, she wished she'd waited the extra two hours in North Carolina and flown to Houston instead. 

“I should get something to eat.” She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. Even though she knew airport food was massively overpriced, the need to put something in her stomach kept attempting to take over other thoughts. She picked up her bags, glancing once more at the board in front of her gate. “United flight seven one three to Denver, boarding in two hours.” she sighed and headed towards the concourse. “I need a snack.” 

Food would make things a little more bearable. 

“Leia?” A voice called from behind her and she froze; of all the places.... “Leia!” 

She squared her shoulders and kept moving. She would not turn around and acknowledge she heard her brother calling to her. She didn't want to look at him, didn't want to speak to him, hell, she didn't want to share a time zone with him. It was bad enough they had to share a hemisphere. 

“Leia!” Luke called again, and this time she felt his hand on her arm, and she wheeled on her foot to face him.

“What the hell do you want?” She kept her shock hidden; he'd gotten so much older since the last time she saw him. Fifteen years? He'd aged twice that, judging from the gray hair and lines crisscrossing his face. 

“What are you doing here?” Luke straightened a little, his expression uncertain. Good.

“I would have thought what I'm doing in an airport obvious. I'm waiting for a plane.” she rolled her eyes and started walking again. “And I don't want to speak to you.”

“I want to explain...” he started after her. 

“Explain what?!” she turned, her raised voice causing several other people to turn and stare. “You nearly kill my son and you want to explain?” 

“Leia, please...” He cleared his throat, “I don't...”

“You...” she caught sight of a small child watching, her eyes wide. “I'm not going to go into this. You want to talk, you know who my lawyer is.” She tightened her grip on her bags and went into the one place she knew her brother wouldn't dare follow her: the ladies room.

Seething, she walked to the end of the row of stalls, shutting herself into the last one. She couldn't imagine what her brother was doing in Atlanta, he hated the weather in the south and had gone north as soon as he could escape it. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she fired off another text to Han.

_Ran into Luke. My day's officially ruined._

Her eyes widened when she realized she'd not sent the message to her husband, but to Ben.

_Call campus security, Mom. Or the cops._

She shook her head. 

_I'm at the airport in Atlanta, headed for Denver._

“Ma'am?” a voice came from the other side of the stall, they knocked once. “Ma'am?” 

She opened the door, looking into the face of a security guard. “Yes?” 

“Several people notified us about a man harassing you. We've escorted him back to his gate, and keeping him under observation.” The woman gave her an understanding smile. “I'm terribly sorry about the situation, are you all right?” 

Leia nodded, “I'll manage, and thank you. Complicated matter, I'm afraid.” 

“Always is with family.” the woman stepped back so she could exit the stall. “You're not headed for Chicago, are you?”

“No.” she shook her head as they exited the bathroom, “though I don't know if his gate's next to mine or not.” 

“We're keeping several sets of eyes on the man, so don't worry.” she offered a smile. “Storm should move past us in another thirty minutes, and we can get you to where you need to go.” 

“Can't control the weather. But I appreciate the thought.” she tucked her phone back into her pocket, resolved to put the incident out of her mind. She definitely needed something deep fried. 

*

Ben set his phone down as Rey came out of the bathroom, drying her hands on a towel. “My mom's headed to Denver.” He sighed, “guess she didn't trust my dad to tell everything, or didn't like feeling left out.” He wasn't going to mention the part about Uncle Luke. The less said there, the better.

She flopped down on the bed. “So why don't we go?” 

He blinked at her. “What?”

“We should go to Denver too.” she shrugged, “The road trip idea. We've got junk food, a rental car and vacation time.” she grinned, “think about it. We can get to know each other, take turns at the wheel, and, arrive in time for dinner on Friday, lunch if we manage to avoid rush hours. All we really need to do is to change our flight home from New Orleans to Denver.” 

He sat down. “You're crazy. Do you know how long of a drive that is?” 

“Closer than the Grand Canyon.” she quipped. “Seriously, we'll get all arranged before we go to bed, head for Colorado in the morning.” she grabbed her phone and focused on it. “Only around twenty hours, and I know we both don't have issues sleeping in a moving vehicle. I;ll round it up to twenty-two, for stops and construction.” 

“We're going to arrive so tired, Gingersnap..” He chuckled, “though I think you have a point. I don't think having our parents together without us present is a good idea. They may start to plan a reception, or worse.” 

She snickered, “I think Dad will remain levelheaded, but something tells me your dad and my Papa will likely cause some trouble.” 

“And my mother will stand there and help.” He chuckled, “well, if we're going to do this, we have calls to make. We can use the money not getting spent on this hotel for gas and additional food.” He tapped his fingers against his knee. “I could give Rose a call, see if she's got a soft cooler we could borrow, for water and stuff.”

“She won't try and talk us out of going, will she?” Rey flinched, “stupid cramps. Wait, I have a feeling she'll bring it over here.” 

He paused, “on second thought, I better call Paige. I know Finn got into town this morning, and probably sweating bullets over the impending question he has for Rose.” 

“Good plan.” Her expression changed, “We going to tell our parents we're headed to Colorado, or do you think we should surprise them?” 

“I say we call them when we're almost to the Colorado state line. Depending on how awake I am, I'll sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' and when we cross the border, I'll state we're not in Kansas anymore.” He grinned, “we should get a YouTube channel to document this adventure.”

“Gingersnap and Fluffy.” she grinned and got up, “I'll handle the airline arrangements, you take care of the rental car. The company might want us to switch vehicles.” 

*

Han watched the people streaming out of the arrival area at Denver International, feeling much more at ease than he had since he arrived in Colorado yesterday. This situation wasn't horrible, he could think of a dozen worse situations he and Leia could find themselves in – and had. But knowing Luke had run into Leia at the airport in Atlanta, just made him angry. 

At least they hadn't gotten on the same flight and the good people working security at Hartsfield had the foresight to keep the two of them apart. Or rather, keep Luke away from Leia. 

Where his brother-in-law had gotten his crack-brained ideas from, Han had no idea, and all Leia ever offered was 'college changed him.'

“Hey, hot shot.” A voice cut into his thoughts and he managed a grin as his wife came forward and hugged him. “I catch you with your head in the clouds again?” 

“Something like that.” He returned the hug, kissing the top of her head. “I didn't talk to Baze and Chirrut for very long today, they had classes to teach and I took a long nap,following the doctor's orders to get more rest.” He took her carry-on bag from her hand and the two of them headed out of the airport. “You want some dinner?”

“I'd love something. I'd take pizza at this point, today felt far too long. I only went to my nine-am because they had a test today.” she smirked, “not that I don't have an assistant to hand out test papers and collect blue books. Jyn still in town?”

“No, well, I let her off at the departure area, I have no idea what time her boarding call is.” he sighed as they climbed aboard a bus to the short-term parking. “And yes, I'm watching my diet too. Green vegetables, next to nothing deep fried, no alcohol.” 

“Fusspot.” she countered, leaning against him. “I'm still not certain what to think about all this; maybe if we'd had a little warning, it wouldn't feel so weird.” 

“From what I gather, Baze's having more of an issue than Chirrut. I do not think there's a man with a more optimistic outlook this side of the Mississippi River.” He snickered, “I still want to know how Rey can't cook.” 

“Maybe she spent her time doing outdoor things.” Leia shrugged, “her dads did say something about her not having the right temperament for the kitchen. May I remind you that you can't cook either?” 

“I'm a different story, I wasn't raised by two dads and my mother's idea of letting me help cook was opening jars.” He chuckled, “how did Ben learn to cook again?”

“Reading.” she covered a cough. “And his grandmother, who had him rolling matzo balls before he turned two.” She managed a grin, “perfectly revolting, my son makes a better soup than I do.” 

“Hardly.” He smiled as the bus slowed to their stop and they joined the small group getting off too. The mid-April evening had some bite to it; not bitter, but cold enough to remind you it could still unleash winter weather despite the time of the year. “He has both of his grandmothers' recipes, and can replicate them all, and the fact he can read my mother's shaky scrawl alone makes it a wonder.” 

“Well, on the bright side, it's not like those two crazy kids ran off to Vegas after knowing each other for all of a week.” She sighed, “though getting married the day you meet is about as insane.” 

“Ben's work schedule would never have let him go on Chopped, or the Next Food Network Star.” He countered, scanning the cars, trying to remember exactly where he left the rental.” 

“Oh he could still do that.” she quipped, “we just need Baze to give him a lesson or two in Chinese cooking, and Ben could merge it with Jewish, and create a whole new style. Call the show The Kosher Wok.” 

“Ha!” Han threw back his head, laughing. “And have the whole of social media go screaming about cultural appropriation at him? I don't think so.” He snorted as he unlocked the car and opened the trunk, putting Leia's bag inside. 

She made a face, “point. Seems a great deal of people don't know how to stay in their lane when they get online. I suppose it's the freedom of anonymity.” She slid into the passenger seat at he shut the trunk and got in as well. “How do you feel about all this?”

“Unsettled. The whole thing...” he shook his head, “well, at least we don't have cameras on us, so there's some comfort in all this.” He backed out of the parking spot and drove towards the exit.

“And how.” Leia took out her phone, scanning her messages. “I think once we all have met, everything might look better.” 

Han frowned. “You don't think those kids are crazy enough to drive up to Denver, do you?” He had no idea how far it was to New Orleans, at least a whole day's worth of a drive, if not longer. 

“Yes.” She answered flatly. “Message sent at four-fifty six this afternoon from Paige Tico. 'Leia, Ben and Rey borrowed a cooler, heading for Denver in the morning. You didn't hear this from me.'” 

“If they can survive the trip, those two can survive anything.” he shook his head, “and hopefully, they can figure out which one is the sensible one on their way north.” 

*

Baze didn't say anything as Chirrut put the bottle of Tylenol back in the cupboard. He simply shut the dishwasher, making sure the lock clicked into place. “I'm not going to run this until after breakfast tomorrow. There's plenty of room for breakfast dishes.” 

“Mother Hen.” his husband countered, “you don't need to explain everything, you know.” 

“Habit.” he sighed, going over to the kitchen table. “how long did Jyn visit the school? She never came to my part, I suspect she felt more comfortable around small children than teenagers.” When Chirrut had told him what the woman had come specifically to the school to tell them, he'd had to resist the urge to punch something.

“She stayed for two hours, helping with my teaching. Rather nice to have someone else man the piano every now and then.” he smiled, coming over to join him. Thor took up residence at his feet, tail thumping against the floor. “Han agreed to visit the school tomorrow, and we are having dinner together in the evening. He's staying in Colorado through the weekend.”

“I know.” He muttered, rubbing his temple. “I think I'll feel better about everything once everyone has met.” He pulled his planner towards him, “need to figure out something to have for dinner. Something decent, but not too fancy.”

“You can make a stew in the crock-pot, Baze. You don't need to go to a great deal of trouble.” He smiled, “something tells me Han Solo's the type of man who is a finicky eater.” 

“The crock-pot's both a blessing and a curse. Things never turn out exactly how I want them.” he sighed, flipping through a few pages, “though it does turn out a decent curry on occasion.” 

“Fuss Pot.” Chirrut smiled over at him. “Worrying over nothing. Make the delicious chicken soup everyone loves. The one xiǎo hǔ wants her first night home when she visits. And don't tell me she has to come home to make it.” 

“You do know if she finds out, I'll never hear the end of it.” He muttered, “though it's not as if we can only have it when she's home.” He pulled off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. The whole of the week felt too eventful, too long – all he wanted to do was skip tomorrow and Friday, and find Saturday waiting for him when he woke up in the morning. “Your phone's going off.” 

“I know.” Chirrut answered, setting the device on the table, his fingers deftly working the braille buttons. “If you;re selling something, we do not need it. Unless this is Publisher's Clearinghouse and we're going to receive a thousand dollars a week for life.” 

“Evening, Chirrut,” Han Solo's voice sounded as tired as Baze felt. “Sorry to call so late.” 

“It's not late at all.” He grinned, “you're still planning on coming to the school tomorrow, yes?” 

“Yeah.” he cleared his throat. “The kids are driving to Denver, but they don't know we know about it.” 

Baze snickered, “who told you?”

“A little bird named Paige Tico. If she hadn't done it, Rose would have.” Leia's voice sounded amused, “I'm a little surprised Ben forgot they'd go behind their backs and let us know.”

“It's only practical.” Baze took a breath, “I don't know if Rey still has her house key, and even if she does, she might not have the keyring she needs.” 

“Point.” A noise he couldn't place came from Han. “If they drive straight through, which I suspect they will, they should get to Denver sometime Friday afternoon. Good thing the weather report's clear.” 

“Clear in Colorado, I have no idea about Oklahoma and Kansas.” Leia added, “Ben didn't even know I was headed to Denver until I accidentally texted him instead of his dad.” 

“I hope it wasn't anything terrible.” Chirrut interjected, “and see, now we can all plot without them knowing, and instead of xiǎo hǔ and Ben surprising us, we shall surprise them.” 

Baze looked from the phone to his husband, and gave a glance down at Thor, who seemed utterly content about everything. Was he the only levelheaded person around here? 

“Take that look of your face, Baze Malbus, you will get wrinkles and I will not help you iron them.” His husband grinned. 

*

Rey bolted upright in bed, hand pressed against her chest to control her breathing. She never could say which was the worse nightmare; the one of the plane crash, or the one where she ran through dark corridor after dark corridor, trying to escape some monster she couldn't see, only feared with every fiber of her being. She pressed her eyes closed, rapidly inhaling as her heart raced. 

“Gingersnap?” Ben's voice came to her, groggy – and she felt his hand settle on her back, moving in slow circles. “You okay?” 

She didn't look back, she didn't think she could move. 

“Hey.” His arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into a half-hug. “Bad dream?” 

She nodded, pressing a hand against her mouth. “Didn't mean to wake you up too. It's stupid, I...” 

“Hush. Let me get you some water. It'll help.” He kissed her temple and rose from the bed. As he left, she shivered, lamenting the loss of his warmth next to her. How utterly pathetic was this? She'd known Ben what, three, four days? She coughed, her heart finally slowing down as he returned, handing her a bottle of water and a few tissues. 

“Thanks.” She took several gulps of water; keeping her focus on it as he got back into bed with her, letting out a deep breath of his own. “I know, I should have a better grip on things...”

“Hardly.” He took the bottle when she handed it to him, screwing the lid back on. “Nightmares suck. Doesn't matter if you're five or fifty.” 

“I'm never the pilot in the plane crash dreams. I'm always trapped in the back, a passenger, or I somehow turn into the pilot right before impact.” She wiped at her face, “When it's too late to fix the problem I knew earlier, and...” 

“Yeah.” He rubbed her back again. “not that I have plane crash dreams.” 

She coughed, blowing her nose. “I'll trade you. They're awful.”

“I'm always lost in the woods, and something's chasing me – but I can't run, only stumble over rocks and hidden tree trunks.” He grimaced, “we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.” 

Rey managed a weak smile. Talking about the nightmares tended to make them happen more often; stupid subconscious. She took a breath, “It's late and we have a journey in the morning.” 

“Yeah.” he turned over her pillow so the cool side faced upward before settling down against his. “Eat a good breakfast, drink a good portion of coffee, see if we can make Oklahoma by lunch.” 

She gave her face another once over with the tissue, and set them on her bedside table. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“Don't be. It happens.” He didn't look over his shoulder at her as she laid down. “You think you can go back to sleep?” 

“What time is it?” She folded her arms on the blankets, the hum of the air conditioner kicking on the loudest sound in the room.

“One-thirty four.” he coughed, “I know, it feels later.”

She frowned, shifting so she could rub the spot between his shoulder-blades. “Have you ever gotten lost in the woods?” 

“Yeah.” Something in his tone told her it was bad; it seemed impossible someone of Ben's size could get lost in the woods and have it continually terrify him – but then, he'd had a childhood too – and cancer. Somehow, cancer seemed a thousand times worse than the bullies she'd had to deal with in school. “You want some more water?” 

“No.” She tugged on his arm. “I want a snuggle. We're okay with snuggling, right?” 

He let out a soft chuckle and turned to face her, holding his arm open, “yes, Gingersnap, snuggling's great.” 

She didn't hesitate to slide up against him, and he turned so he laid on his back, with her lying on his chest. She hugged him and closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. “Still smell like cucumber melon.” she wrinkled her nose, “and lavender?” 

“Wonderful things, dryer sheets.” He snickered, rubbing her back in slow circles. “because static cling is evil.” 

“Yes.” Rey smiled, focusing on the sound of his heart beating under her ear. Steady and sure, and calming. “who's taking care of your plants while you're gone?” 

“Neighbor. Knowing Maz, she'll return them to me doubled in size. She has a way with growing things. She grew sweet corn in a pot last winter. Sunshine and a space heater.” 

“Wow.” She yawned, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “Goodnight, Fluffy.” 

Ben's arm tightened and relaxed. “Goodnight, Gingersnap.”


End file.
